Pat
Simmons Jr. - This Mountain
This
Mountain is a stunning first effort from Patrick Simmons Jr and the six songs
sound like the product of a performer much older and more seasoned. There’s not
a single note of dross on these cuts. Simmons Jr has a finely tuned ear for
writing concise songs with important things to say and a perfect facility for
saying them. This Mountain betrays a strong blues, folk, and jazz influence,
but Simmons Jr’s upbringing in Hawaii has an enormous effect on the EP’s
songwriting. Much of the EP’s lyrical contributions, all exceptionally well
written, touch on aspects of his life on the big island of Maui, but he relates
the landscape and culture in such a way that anyone with a sense of place in
their own lives can surely relate. The production, courtesy of his father Pat
Simmons Sr, puts this music out there in the best imaginable way and achieves a
perfect balance between the instruments and singing.
He’s
got a lively spirit and way of tackling these songs. It’s patient, however, and
“Up and Out By Five” shows that off. Simmons has the vocal chops to match the
music, but he has the restraint to make sure his singing lines up well with the
arrangement. The result is music that has a real bounce, but it isn’t shallow
rudimentary stuff. It all comes down to presentation. The first song gets over
a mood that’s important to understanding the release as well. “Rust” shows
another face of Simmons’ musical character and the lower-key approach he
pursues with this arrangement and vocal makes for an effective tandem with the
opener. Bringing slide guitar into the stew gives it a potent spike and raises
the soul factor some, but Simmons is the real soul behind these songs. He has
an easy going elegance that few debut performers are able to bring to bear and
it never fails to sound convincing.
The
mid tempo stride “Mauna Mele” has the same uncluttered approach defining the EP
as a whole and the same spirit coloring his singing on the release’s best
moments. As the title easily indicates, Simmons has culled the subject from his
every day Hawaiian life, but it’s no impediment to understanding the song’s
sentiments. “How Many Years” begins life as a straight blues with a practically
solo performance setting – it’s just Simmons’ singing, acoustic guitar, and
incidental streaks of harmonica. It turns into something quite different early
on when drums and new guitars come in, but it never seems to fully capitalize
on its obvious potential and some may find themselves longing for a bigger
payoff at the end. “Touch the Ground” is another memorable moment, particularly
for the inclusion of electric guitar fills, but Simmons gives his best vocal on
the album with this performance. He brings it to a perfect ending with the last
track “All the Way”. The same generosity of spirit filling many of the song’s
performances comes through quite strongly on this closing number. He dovetails
his voice quite nicely into the arrangement and the bluesy feel has a positive
mood pervading throughout. It brings this release to the sort of closing it deserves
and will linger in listener’s memory for quite a while.
9
out of 10 stars
David
Shouse
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