Jake Smith - Real

&otProducer:  Dan Strain
Label:  Rocketown Records
Website:  http://www.jakesmithmusic.com

I’ve gone over the history of Rocketown Records several times already, so there’s no need to discuss the company’s success (Chris Rice, Ginny Owens, Watermark) and their failures (George Rowe, Out of the Grey, Michael Olson).  Jake Smith is the label’s latest signing, and he has an interesting enough story all on his own.  This singer/songwriter and New Orleans native has seen his fair share of bad circumstances - such as Hurricane Katrina, both parents being diagnosed with cancer, and a rough car wreck - just to name a few.  However, Smith didn’t let those circumstances stop his musical growth and prowess, and he took those experiences and created Real out of those problems.  Real - which was originally released independently - was retooled by Rocketown and now is being released nationally.  Musically, the album fits in the landscape of male singer/songwriters like John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Matt Kearney to name a few.  Smith’s sound is the typical pop/rock, but with sounds of New Orleans jazz and bluesy horns thrown in for fun occasionally.  “What I Plan to Do”, “Can’t Save Your Soul”, and “Get Up” are definite album highlights.  However, tunes like “This Is Certain; come off as mere paint-by-number radio hits, and Smith may as well stay away from those kind of songs to set himself apart from the pack.  Lyrically, Smith stays grounded in the Word, touching on everything from complacency ("Get Up"), Godly love ("Real Love” and “What I Plan to Do"), and praise and worship ("Make Me Move").  Real is definitely a notch above other albums hitting store shelves by new artists this year, though nowhere near a perfect record.  Fans of melodic singer/songwriters who like their music fused with jazz, blues, and funk should definitely check out Jake Smith’s debut Real.