(2018) Darren Jessee - The Jane, Room 217



Review: 
Darren Jessee made four studio albums as drummer for Ben Folds Five and had five more LPs under his belt as leader of the much more reflective Hotel Lights before deciding to make his first solo album. An outlet for his quietly observant songwriting style, Hotel Lights had always seemed to fill that role, but with The Jane Room 217, it becomes apparent that his solo work is even more spare and intimate. The album was recorded on a six-track in Jessee’s New York City apartment, with the songwriter covering all instruments except strings. (They were added later by Trey Pollard.) While the material follows closely in the footsteps of Hotel Lights, its bare, unprocessed sound and lack of drums, together with brittle vocal performances, play like live demos that take the intimacy to another level. Jessee has said that he was inspired by favorite recordings by Leonard Cohen, Willie Nelson, and Tom Waits. Songs like “Leaving, Almost Ready” and “Go on Baby Break Down” are snapshots of private moments of transition, specifically the anticipation of someone leaving and the point where a downward spiral could turn a corner toward recovery. The performances are equally as exposed. On “Leaving, Almost Ready,” for instance, Jessee’s half-whispered delivery is accompanied by strummed acoustic guitar and judiciously placed keyboards and single-note piano lines. He’s eventually joined by strings in the final verse, when the storyteller reveals what he’s preparing for. Elsewhere, the standout track “Letting You Go” has one of the album’s more haunting melodies, also punctuated by strings that never overtake Jessee’s voice. 


Tracklist: 
01 - Anything You Need.flac 
02 - True Blue.flac 
03 - Letting You Go.flac 
04 - Dying Violins.flac 
05 - Ruins.flac 
06 - Leaving Almost Ready.flac 
07 - All But a Dream.flac 
08 - Plastic Bag.flac 
09 - Go On Baby Break Down.flac 

Summary: 
Country: USA 
Genre: chamber pop