jeremy. pop dreams, lost and found, and two suns. review by alan haber. buhdge

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Lost and Found Jeremy JAM (2004) Pop Dreams Jeremy JAM (2003) Two Suns Guill and Jem (Guillermo Cazenave and Jeremy) Astral (2004) You take even a casual listen to one of Jeremy's albums and you get the distinct feeling that everything you need to know about him is in his music. That's the right call, I think, and I'd be hard-pressed to come up with even a single dissenting voice. Jeremy's music lives and breathes hope and peace and love, and in this time of doubt and strife there seems to be a salve no more healing than music that makes you feel good, which is just when you consider that among genuinely nice people, Jeremy is king, an extremely giving, warm and thoughtful man, possessed of melodic talents that know no boundaries. So it is equally just that three of Jeremy's latest releases find the multi-talented man once again performing musical miracles, complete with all of the hallmarks of his previous efforts: sweet lead vocals; sumptuous, dense backgrounds; excellent playing; positive lyrical messages; and, of course, the jangle and circumstance that defines the core of melodic pop. From the upbeat "Walking With You" to the majestic ballad "One True Love," and the John Lennon-influenced vocals of the Beatlesque "The Actor," a song about not being true to oneself, Pop Dreams is an absolute pleasure. The closing number, a power-pop take on the Fabs' "Good Night," is a textbook example of how an artist who is true to himself can cover a well-loved song and make it his own. "Dream On," the song that precedes "Good Night," is as pretty and persuasive as anything Jeremy has written and performed. His mastery of the pop form is in the spotlight here; the love song's construction is very effective, building nicely and effectively from a solo, echoed vocal to a verse with orchestration, to harmony vocals and, finally, a nice, unexpected and satisfying chord structure at the end. It is perhaps the centerpiece of Pop Dreams, a very fine album indeed. There must be a bottomless Rickenbacker's worth of homeless songs hidden away somewhere in Jeremy's house, because the 23 previously unheard original and cover songs on Lost and Found are as good as anything Jeremy has thus far released. The sweet songs are bountiful, from the bouncy la-la-la-laden "Flowers Everywhere" to the affecting instrumental "Lullaby," with its quite nice guitar-picking and understated background vocals. The mix throughout is consistent and most inviting. Other highlights on Lost and Found include the upbeat "Congratulations" and the wonderfully-melodic "Love is Alive," a testament to the loving bond between two people, and the possibilities that exist. But Lost and Found is perhaps the wrong title for this album, because neither are these songs lost or found; they've been there all along, waiting for a home, which this album graciously gives them. In fact, Jeremy's prodigious output is rooted in so many styles (he has tried on many different genres throughout his career) that a single album every few years can hardly adequately represent his reach, so it is no surprise that every so often he releases something that is wholly different, but equally wonderful. Two Suns, Jeremy's collaboration with Agentinian-born musician Guillermo Cazenave, is a meeting of two cultures that results in the beating of one musical heart. The result is a two-disc collection of emotionally complex songs about faith, feeling, love and other celestial ruminations. Cazenave contributes five, beautiful and expansive meditations on true love, including the epic, meaningful "Truth" ; the rest of the collection, penned by Jeremy, mines similar subject matter, all to great, heartfelt effect. The messages are meaningful, and the soothing, beautiful music is divine. Cazenave, who has worked with musicians such as original Genesis member Anthony Phillips, complements Jeremy's talents considerably. Their guitars intertwine very nicely throughout. It is obvious that these are two kindred souls. Their take on Phillips' "Silver Song" not only binds them together, but connects it, at least spiritually, with Lost and Found, on which the song is also featured. No boundaries, then. Three albums, 65 songs, every one a keeper, and a singular voice behind them all. Alan Haber February 13, 2005
alan haber's pure pop buhdgeblog hot buhdge \| pop buhdge \| buhdge remembers television buhdge \| film buhdge \| books buhdge video buhdge \| buhdge fine print \| links about buhdge \| write for buhdge \| contact home (c) 2004 Alan Haber

Lost and Found
Jeremy
JAM (2004)

Pop Dreams
Jeremy
JAM (2003)

Two Suns
Guill and Jem (Guillermo Cazenave and Jeremy)
Astral (2004)

You take even a casual listen to one of Jeremy's albums and you get the distinct feeling that everything you need to know about him is in his music. That's the right call, I think, and I'd be hard-pressed to come up with even a single dissenting voice. Jeremy's music lives and breathes hope and peace and love, and in this time of doubt and strife there seems to be a salve no more healing than music that makes you feel good, which is just when you consider that among genuinely nice people, Jeremy is king, an extremely giving, warm and thoughtful man, possessed of melodic talents that know no boundaries.

jeremy's pop dreams So it is equally just that three of Jeremy's latest releases find the multi-talented man once again performing musical miracles, complete with all of the hallmarks of his previous efforts: sweet lead vocals; sumptuous, dense backgrounds; excellent playing; positive lyrical messages; and, of course, the jangle and circumstance that defines the core of melodic pop.

From the upbeat "Walking With You" to the majestic ballad "One True Love," and the John Lennon-influenced vocals of the Beatlesque "The Actor," a song about not being true to oneself, Pop Dreams is an absolute pleasure. The closing number, a power-pop take on the Fabs' "Good Night," is a textbook example of how an artist who is true to himself can cover a well-loved song and make it his own.

"Dream On," the song that precedes "Good Night," is as pretty and persuasive as anything Jeremy has written and performed. His mastery of the pop form is in the spotlight here; the love song's construction is very effective, building nicely and effectively from a solo, echoed vocal to a verse with orchestration, to harmony vocals and, finally, a nice, unexpected and satisfying chord structure at the end. It is perhaps the centerpiece of Pop Dreams, a very fine album indeed.

jeremy's lost and found There must be a bottomless Rickenbacker's worth of homeless songs hidden away somewhere in Jeremy's house, because the 23 previously unheard original and cover songs on Lost and Found are as good as anything Jeremy has thus far released. The sweet songs are bountiful, from the bouncy la-la-la-laden "Flowers Everywhere" to the affecting instrumental "Lullaby," with its quite nice guitar-picking and understated background vocals. The mix throughout is consistent and most inviting.

Other highlights on Lost and Found include the upbeat "Congratulations" and the wonderfully-melodic "Love is Alive," a testament to the loving bond between two people, and the possibilities that exist. But Lost and Found is perhaps the wrong title for this album, because neither are these songs lost or found; they've been there all along, waiting for a home, which this album graciously gives them. In fact, Jeremy's prodigious output is rooted in so many styles (he has tried on many different genres throughout his career) that a single album every few years can hardly adequately represent his reach, so it is no surprise that every so often he releases something that is wholly different, but equally wonderful.

Two Suns, Jeremy's collaboration with Agentinian-born musician Guillermo Cazenave, is a meeting of two cultures that results in the beating of one musical heart. The result is a two-disc collection of emotionally complex songs about faith, feeling, love and other celestial ruminations. Cazenave contributes five, beautiful and expansive meditations on true love, including the epic, meaningful "Truth" ; the rest of the collection, penned by Jeremy, mines similar subject matter, all to great, heartfelt effect. The messages are meaningful, and the soothing, beautiful music is divine.

Cazenave, who has worked with musicians such as original Genesis member Anthony Phillips, complements Jeremy's talents considerably. Their guitars intertwine very nicely throughout. It is obvious that these are two kindred souls. Their take on Phillips' "Silver Song" not only binds them together, but connects it, at least spiritually, with Lost and Found, on which the song is also featured.

No boundaries, then. Three albums, 65 songs, every one a keeper, and a singular voice behind them all.

Alan Haber
February 13, 2005