We spent the day with these atmospheric soul-piercing tracks of "Center of Attention" in the Suite office, and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t find ourselves drawn in by this band’s eclectic energy and haunting vocals. Put it this way: not much work was done…. but nobody cared. We got lost in the swirling rhythms of the Jackson Waters groove.
Songs included on the digital EP are "Give Me Amazing Grace," "Come Undone," "Center Of Attention" and an acoustic version of "Give Me Amazing Grace.” A free download of a fifth track, "Jamie's Song," is also available through the band's Myspace page. The EP is mixed to perfection, crisp and clean, the better to enjoy these sonic treats.
The first radio single, "Give Me Amazing Grace," was recently released to CHR radio and is already showing up in the Top-20 on the Air1 radio network. Keyboardist David Leonard’s lead vocals drip with passion over the howling undertones of the moody “Come Undone,” but it is the title track that will really stop you cold. I love the stealth opening of “Center of Attention,” Leonard pinning you to your seat with his quietly haunting tones. He makes much of a little with this minimalist wind-up, before the bluesy chord changes lead into a soaring electric bridge. The upbeat acoustic “Give Me Amazing Grace” brings it all home nicely, its straightforward plea the ideal chaser after the previous layers of luster.
Leonard and his Jackson Waters team (guitarists Toby Friesen and Jesse LaFave, bassist Brian Meek, and drummer Ryan Hawk) are busting out of their Arkansas college world in a big way. Look for their full-length national debut, "Come Undone," in March, which at the moment seems decades away.
