James Clay is a new artist that I just discovered. I read up on him on his site and discoverd that he’s a young whipper-snapper at 22 but with an aged feel because he’s been working since 14. The feel of the album is what I would describe as a combo between Hootie and the Blowfish and Counting Crows. While I don’t agree with all of his theology* I found it generally acceptable and think that most mellow rock listeners will find it pretty darn good. You can hear low quality MP3’s on the site with their integrated flash player.

The strong songs on the album (which I’ve listened through to a couple times) include the first track, I Still Believe, the catchy, rasta tune ‘Send Salvation’ and Franklin Park. The whole album is pretty strong and consistent in sound so I can’t really say, “Just get a couple tunes on iTunes.” It was produced by a personal favorite, Phil Madiera, who is a brilliant musician in his own right. The whole album feels somewhat familiar so I instantly liked the songs and found myself wanting to sing along with the chorus – not a bad place to be for a new artist and new album.

Ratings:

Musicianship

3.5 out of 5 – good mucisianship but nothing insanely amazing – solid mellow rock sound

Lyrics

3 out of 5 – The Lyrics are good, bourne from James’ life lessons and tough dealings of his youth. The guy has been through some crazy stuff

Accessibility to the Masses

4 out of 5 – Like I said above the music sounds enough like it’s a blend of Hootie and the Counting Crows that if you like either of those bands you should be able to like this album pretty quick

Over-all recommendation

4 out of 5 – this album is fun for the most part with a few catchy tunes that will get folks tapping toes or singing along. People in passing cars will most likely look at you funny as they see you singing along.

*I find that most theology in the ‘Christian Music Scene’ is at least different from what I find in scripture. Sometimes it’s from rhyme schemes, sometimes its from actually having bad or questionable theology.