Stephen Jacques has a new album, “Prayers for an Orange Cat,” which was recorded with legendary recording engineer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Paul McCartney, PJ Harvey) and Jason Narducy (Bob Mould, Superchunk, Robert Pollard, The Pretenders). A compilation of heartfelt alt-rock love songs. Expressively, gently, and humorously coming from the soul. Folksy, alt-country, post-punk vibe—he is a talented, well established singer-songwriter.
Let me begin with the official press release information: A true artist and songwriter world-renowned for his prolific, heartfelt alt-rock love songs, Stephen has released ten albums to date, with his eleventh album produced by Steve Albini. His body of work was culled from a lifetime of experiences, including those as an engineer, a Hollywood actor, a custom builder, and a TV host. Though Stephen lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, his family hails from New Orleans and New York. His Italian grandfather was a multi-instrumentalist during the roaring 20s and an aunt on the French side of his family was a fabulous blues singer. His music was influenced by great rock and punk bands heard throughout the mid-Atlantic in his 20s and 30s, as well as by a good friend—a Beatles fan—who introduced him to his first chords on an acoustic guitar at age 16. Stephen currently writes all of his music and performs in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area. Over 300 radio stations and podcasts spin “Send Them Love,” cited by DJs as a “little masterpiece.”
One of the downsides of being a reviewer and of working for a music magazine is that people I meet automatically feel that I should know every artist out there and have an encyclopedic memory for their past work. When you look blank, they stare at you and say, “What? You don’t know… I thought you knew about music!” (LOL)
So at the risk of shocking everyone reading this, who are probably fans of Stephen Jacques, I had heard of him and knew he was a talented musician in the American rock genre who has a name for love songs. But, to tell the truth, I could not, off hand, recall his music. So this was a bit of a dip into the unknown, which can be good as you have a bit of an adventure and come to the man and his music fresh. I am still on holiday with my children and have been doing my reviews late at night when they are safely asleep. So headphones on, a chilled Dr. Pepper in the glass and on with the review. I boldly go into the musical world of an orange cat.
The album runs to ten songs and comes in at just under 35 minutes.
“Sometimes love is not enough” opens the album. It moves into a gentle, uplifting melody about forgotten memories. I liked the background harmony, singing and rhythm. It took me into Chris Rea territory. The guitar work complements the piece and it it was a decent opener.
“Prayers for an Orange Cat” has a great beat—a homage to a cat! (Remember Freddie Mercury paying homage to his cat in a song called “Delilah”?) The guitar work is accompanied by an unusual lyric and a slide sound, along with “miows.” I don’t know what I expected here, it’s a song that made me smile.
“Media Puppets” delivers a great drum beat and has a swagger to it. This one hits a groove nicely, is a bit more traditionally rocky and has a bit more attitude to it. I am pretty sure this one would sound great live and would be a lot of fun to play. If this track were chocolate, it would be salted caramel with a touch of ginger (for the zing).
“When Will the Love Start?” is slower, a bit more under the rock ballad umbrella. This one had a slightly bitter taste, with the vocals pitching with emotion. It was `an album track that slotted into the feel of the piece without lighting any fire.
“Fisherman of Ireland” name references the towns of the South and the guitars pull us along through the Dublin streets. It has a bit of folk in the mix here but retains a rock base to the track. A touch of the Waterboys.
“Unsaid Poetry” is acoustic, heavy and slow grooving. The song has an almost spoken narrative and the guitars lift up the darkness. We inhabit the old country porch and the song picks up momentum in the latter part when the background harmony vocals add an extra dimension.
“Oslo Street Beat” was one I liked. It took me to a late-night bar somewhere where the music is playing and the last dancers are holding each other on the floor. I think this one does what it does very nicely and has a great acoustic guitar break in mid-section, reminding me of Spain and warm nights there rather than Oslo! But, a thumbs up for this one.
“Do you have a jet?” Continues the pick-up in the latter part of the album. This is storytelling in a groove and a beat! Both the drum sound and the guitar create an interesting montage. The song is enjoyable and a feel-good number. I don’t have a jet, but I don’t think it matters!
“Tel Aviv Sea Balcony” is a smooth number, a laid-back track with some piano to accompany the sun going down. The drums have that jazz club feel about the sound, they are up in the mix for this song and the track benefits from that decision.
“Law Man River’s Edge” closes the album in reflective, biographic mode. It continues to show Stephen doing what he does best, narrating his emotions and stories with the love of his music.
Overall, I find that a word usually attached to Stephen Jacques is “prolific.” It appears in every piece I see of him. I am very unsure whether it is used positively or not. There is nothing wrong with being prolific; you could certainly connect the word to the best band ever, “The Beatles,” who were immensely prolific in a short time scale. Stephen Jacques is not in that league (few are), but he is certainly an accomplished singer-songwriter who is building up listeners and achieving plaudits. When this album picked up its groove from “Oslo Street Beat” onwards, it was a very pleasing listen. At its best, it moves into some very interesting territory with those touches of piano, background vocal harmonies and some jazz-influenced drumming. I did like it. It may not change the world, but not every album needs to. It’s pleasing late-night listening!
Standout Tracks: “Oslo Street Beat” and “Tel Aviv Street Balcony.”
We hope you liked the review, dear reader! If you did, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise, editorials and even poetry! We work hard for you, and if you want to show some appreciation and support what we do, then do use the Support Us link below! Always appreciated.
All Songs Written by Stephen Jacques
Stream the album here
Artist website here
By Stevie Ritson