radioAirplay.com Review
THE DOWNSIDE
Overall Impression:
Bearing both a grand sense of style and finesse, Jeff Hartman's tenderly written "The Downside" is an elegant blend of smooth jazz, folk, and contemporary pop styles that possesses an air of charm and wonder that blissfully encapsulates the listener in a way that feels both thoroughly soothing and resoundingly pleasant. Smooth flowing vocal lines effortlessly weave their way throughout the richly textured arrangement and its harmonically intriguing threads whilst Jeff's signature lyrical style brings a level of humanity and passion-instilled expressiveness to proceedings that both captivate and engage in ways that are able to transport the listener to a place of utmost calm and serenity. Jeff continues to push his dashingly inspired level of creativity to even greater heights and presents his listeners with yet another enthralling piece of songwriting that contains a deep level of substance.
Strongest Point(s):
As is the case with all of Jeff's music, the vocals are a particular standout and bring a great level of both relatability and humanity to each and every piece of track of his. Whilst I am no stranger to Jeff's versatility as a singer, I was particularly taken by the way he further explores his own vocal capabilities in the moments that he manages to effortlessly reach some particularly angelic-sounding higher notes, helping to give his vocal lines an even greater feeling of shape and contour. The well-chosen instrumentation serves as the perfect fit for this style of track and between the subtle fender rhodes layers, timbrally expressive nylon guitar rhythms, sweeping string sections, and gentle underlying percussion, a great deal of tonal variety is created, helping to heighten the effectiveness of the arrangement even further. Speaking of strings, I appreciate the way in which they're subtly introduced in the latter half of the track, not only does this expand the textural properties in a delicate way, but they help create a tenderly handled feeling of extra momentum and urgency in the lyrics that works wonders.
Overall, "The Downside" is a thoroughly moving track that serves as yet another showcase of Jeff's deft creative touch when it comes to seamless genre-weaving. The music is well-crafted, with each instrument playing its part to create a complex and layered sound. The lyrics are equally captivating, adding an extra layer of depth and meaning to the music that helps draw you in instantly.
Target Audience Appeal:
"The Downside" is a strong jazz-edged folk-inspired piece of contemporary songwriting that I can certainly see appealing to many a broad music lover who enjoys the more elegant side of the singer-songwriter genres.