Jesse Terry: Arcadia

The seventh studio album from the New England-based singer/songwriter is his most adventurous and intriguing release to date.

This is a record that ebbs and flows, with a more rock ‘n’ roll feel than his previous releases, but he still knows how tug on the heart strings that were a hallmark of his previous releases.

It is not just the guitars that get cranked up on this record, as the Hammond organ gets pushed to the fore throughout this record, especially on the rousing Headlines & Rivertown, and the exquisitely growling Poison Arrow, that brings to mind Stephen Stills in all his pomp, while Waiting Out The Hurricane is a driving slice of power pop, again with Hammond to the fore, that tips it hat to Tom Pretty. The Springsteenesque jangly guitars that open Native Child give way to harmonies and a chorus that the Eagles would be proud of.

Jesse had talked before the release of this record about how he submerged himself in listening to the likes of Neil Young, Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen, and you can hear it everywhere on this record but that doesn’t mean that this is a record that sound like any of them. This is most definitely a Jesse Terry record.

The ballads on this record though, for all the rock ‘n’ roll swagger of much of it, are the stars. The achingly beautiful Strong is a track that has become a live favourite long before this record was released, and is easy to see why. The dreamy orchestration of Someone In Repair sits in contrast to the lyrics which deal with addiction & recovery. Album closer Where You Came From is the type of song that had it of been released in the 80s would have had audiences holding a lighter above their heads as the flowing piano riff provides the perfect palette for Tery’s exceptional voice.

In an age when we feel the need to put labels on music, records like this remind you that good music is just good music. No labels need.