Jake Smith

All That We’ll Ever Need is an enjoyable near-half -hour musical detour to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, compliments of Jake Smith, Joe Causey, Josiah Bashta, and Darren Phipps. From the first notes plucked on Phipps’ acoustic bass, All That We’ll Ever Need has the ambiance of an intimate club where the audience and band members have good eye contact. Smith’s songs are ideal vehicles for a live setting, relying on strong compositions and ensemble playing. Songs like “Once Love,” and “Fighting For,” feature catchy, unique melodies and interesting harmonies linked by hooky choruses.

The musical setting of these songs is refreshingly organic, featuring tasty acoustic guitar work, percussion, bass and piano, joined occasionally by a bed of subtle horns that manage to create a funky, soulful texture without dominating the sound. The result is a tasty jazz/pop/soul sound that’s significantly more sophisticated than the average pop/rock output, yet accessible and hooky enough for mass consumption. Joe Causey gets kudos for a warm, uncluttered production which brings out the best in the performances (“everybody played everything, if that makes sense,” says Smith) keeping the sound hot and live at all times.

Apart from the songwriting and instruments we have Jake Smith’s voice as the ‘make-it-or-break it’ listening factor of this EP. Smith is a relaxed singer with a warm, easy-to-listen to timbre, and is free from the vocal gymnastics or the ‘trying-too-hard’ style of many current R&B, pop and rock vocalists. This is not to say that Smith isn’t an interesting singer – his soulful but easy-going style is emotional and expressive, slipping into a comfortable falsetto where needed.

Smith’s interesting melodies allow for surprisingly fresh vocal harmony parts – handled by Smith – as well as some nice retro-backup singing that reminded me of some of the classic soul sounds of the early seventies. Smith’s voice is distinctly his own, although comparisons to John Mayer would not be surprising – for those with more eclectic tastes, a combination of Andy Pratt and Sufjan Stevens comes to mind.

Six tracks is maybe one more than most EPs give you, and these are all good ones. The aforementioned opening tracks are immediately good listens. “This is Certain” follows, starting off with a catchy riff – a piano driven song about hope in a dark time (written after Hurricane Katrina), with lines like, “After the rain, the sun will shine / and all will be new again…” To brighten things up a bit, this is followed by “Stay,” a light shuffle. “Can’t Save Your Soul” is a real showpiece – a funky acoustic Louisiana-style boogie with Delaney & Bonnie style down-home singing – accompanied by percussive hand-claps and bass, the song is worked out with acoustic rhythm and slide guitar, providing a ‘live jam’ feeling.

Closing the EP is “People,” a very sophisticated jazz ballad; strongly melodic, with a somewhat melancholy feeling, “People” is a strong composition with wonderful, surprising chord changes under Smith’s very human and effective vocals.

A refreshing change of pace, All That You’ll Ever Need provides a much-needed alternative to the often predictable and sometimes sub-standard ‘indie’ market. Jake Smith has produced an EP that might not be all that you’ll ever need, but certainly something you’ll want if you’re looking for quality music.

Tagged as: All That You'll Ever Need, Jake Smith

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