jason bennett: Press

"This is one truly easygoing, congenial and engaging album. With guitarists Rich Currier and Dan Dameron as nearly all the support, it's really lean. Jason Bennett's songs feel gentle despite the turmoil often within them. The one cover is Bob Dylan's "Shooting Star," an excellently chosen complement to the originals. An aura of wisdom and lessons learned permeates the set. From the opener "Too Damn Fast," a pitch for taking an easy pace of life, to the closer, "Daddy's Hand" for his son, the album quickly becomes a welcome friend. Nice to make your acquaintance, Jason."

--Review of Jason Bennett's album "Slow It Down, Take a Step Back"

Rambles.net - November 4, 2006

"As relevant now, it seems, as it was when written in the 60's, is Jason's cover of Bob Dylan's "Let Me Die in my Footsteps." Bennett does a wonderful job in trying to live up to one of his greatest musical influences. His emulation of Dylan's singing style is in no way forced, but is lovingly and successfully attempted. If there were one song I would hope to be pushed for radio time, it would be this one. I admire Bennett for the certain bravery in which he covered this Dylan tune out of the vast options available, all the more because "Let Me Die in my Footsteps" was never released on any Dylan LP. Though Bennett's voice is not as arresting as Dylan's, it is certainly easier to listen to. 'Mindchange' is a solid indie folk album."

COLORADO SPRINGS INDEPENDENT 9/28/06

"I've never been cool enough to be a rock star," says folk musician Jason Bennett. Granted, while he exhibits a certain inner awareness and calm demeanor, Bennett's not immediately striking in person. Still, the singer's easy tone and thoughtful manner make him both an easy conversationalist and a convincing singer-songwriter.

"I like to just play softly in the crowd," he says. "I don't like to put on a show. That's not my style." This unassuming, introspective quality is certainly distinctive of his latest and fourth CD, 'Mindchange'. On it, Bennett comes across as both world-weary and hopeful, naive and cynical. It's sweetly melancholic, acoustic folk that effortlessly mixes with country - not unlike the early material of the singer's hero, Bob Dylan.

Bennett balks, though, when asked to compare his sound to contemporary country. Despite the twangy edges of the record and the frequent use of mandolins and fiddles, he's quick to point out that his music lacks the "boring lyrics" and flashiness of that genre.

"I can't stand it at all," Bennett says.

COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE 9/29/2006

"Mindchange" shows
Bennett's growth as writer/performer

Jason Bennett takes a big step up on this album.

The production quality is clear and reveals layers of guitars and shimmering bits of mandolin. Bennett worked with local multi-instrumentalists Chuck Haas and Rich Currier for the album, and they helped him create a fuller sound without compromising his commitment to raw acoustic folk.

The album also shows signs that Bennett's songwriting is strengthening. Although a couple of songs are too repetitive, most are blessed with likable melodies and earnest , revealing lyrics. The title track explores the small and large choices Bennett is faced with in his life. "Without the Moon" is a twangy love song baked in the type of tenderness that makes you blush and grin. References to "school pictures on the fridge" and "walking home from school" ground the song between the grandiose proclamations of love in the chorus.

There are plenty of gems here, but "Tequila" deserves extra recognition. The spooky composition is certainly the most unique on the album - guitars create steps that seem to descend into the heart of desolate misery. A low harp whine gives off a sense of foreboding, and the lyrics have a sense of finality to them.

If this album is any evidence, Bennett's momentum is building.

-J. Adrian Stanley
Colorado Springs Gazette
9/29/2006

Colorado Springs Gazette:

Bennett's "Self-Portrait" Portrays Talented Man

Title: "Self-Portrait" by Jason Bennett

Style: Folk, Blues, Rock, Country

Personnel: Jason Bennett (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Cleve Clark (harmony, vocals, bass, keyboards), A.J. Clark (electric and acoustic guitars, dobro, juice harp, harmony vocals), Bryan Simpson (mandolin, fiddle), Brandon Trey Parr (drums, percussion), Cliff Sandifer (fiddle, dobro), Junior Knight (steel guitar)

Source of Inspiration: "I kind of wanted to cross over from the really rootsy folk sound to a more commercial sound," Bennett says of this, his second CD. Brothers Cleve Clark and A.J. Clark were a big help to Bennett, who says they added the "heft" he was looking for. Aside from that, Bennett says a musical hero of his inspired a lot of the sound. "I'm a (Bob) Dylan freak," he says.

Albums he wishes he'd made: Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and "Time out of Mind" and the Byrd's "Ballad of Easy Rider."

His most rock 'n' roll moment: "Sometimes when I'm playing in crowds, people sit and listen to every word," Bennett says. "I'm kind of a quiet guy--I don't think I qualify as a rock 'n' roller."

What "making it" would look like: "My ultimate goal is to have other artists do my songs," Bennett says. "I want to make it more as a songwriter than a perfomer."

CD vitals: Eight songs, 30 minutes

Test drive: www.cdbaby.com/cd/jasonbennett2

Available at: Barnes & Noble at Chapel Hills Mall, Borders at Southgate, and www.cdbaby.com

Review: It would be a pleasure to see some of Bennett's materials from "Self Portrait" make it into the hands of a Nashville star. Many popular country tunes have predicatable lyrics and subject matter, but Bennett has been able to craft songs with catchy beats and down-home twang with lyrics that reach beyond a first grade reading level.

"Ain't Selling Out," the exclamation point of the album, and "Snap My Fingers" would merge nicely into the world of country pop, and "Stormy Weather Coming Down" is a gem with big instrumental sound and emotional vocals.

Bennett's sense of humor shows on the simple acoustic, "I'm About Done," and "The Ballad of Jake Spoon" harks back to the time of Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie.

The album also features two blues numbers. Bennett's songwriting ability seems to have no difficulty genre-hopping, but his voice seems less accustomed to the transition. He has a wonderful twanging voice for country songs, but it takes a deeper, more powerful voice to sing the blues.

The bashful Bennett probably would rather see someone else sing his songs, anyway, and a true bluesman could make good of the beautiful love song "Bring It On" and the playful attitude of "Talkin' Rude Blues."

Bennett's songs are strong and emotional without overpowering the listener or being trite, stale or sentimental.

Catch 'em live: Bennett will play Pike's Perk, 14 S. Tejon St., at 8 p.m. August 28

"On his new album "Acoustic Harbor", Jason Bennett takes one of those quantum leaps that earnest artists have every now and then. With more and more recording studios starting to resemble mission control, Jason goes old school; an inexpensive four-track recorder, a microphone, a guitar and an empty laundry room. The result is ten songs that are incredibly well-crafted and emotionally immediate.
The opener "How Will She Ever Find Me" is a catchy-as-hell country blues. "I Cried For The First Hundred Miles" is the kind of Hank Williams/ Faron Young heartbreaker that you've been wishing someone would write again. And in the socially concious "Uh-Huh", JB's lyrics are as tough and forceful as brass knuckles on concrete.
Nowadays with everything on radio sounding so pristine and pretty, it's a thrill to hear music with some grit and gravity. Eschewing the technology, with just his voice and guitar, Bennett pulls the listener through the speakers back to that lonely room and into the moment this story began."

"Bennett's honest voice is the centerpiece of his songs. It's best when he lets it fly with a Dylanesque what-the-hell attitude. The voice is complemented by fine guitar and harmonica work, haunting cello and lyrics that have something to say. Singer-songwriter fans should enjoy the tales of lost love and lost souls on his debut cd, "The Atascadero Sessions."

Bennett's "Atascadero Sessions" closes with "Arthur Lee", a ballad that clearly has roots in early Bob Dylan. His songs are melodic and musically well-played. "The Atascadero Sessions" is an interesting listen.

"A definite country-rock feel permeates this recording with both acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, drums, keyboard, fiddle and dobro. As the title suggests, the recording gives you a glimpse of Jason as a singer/songwriter and his influences, with diverse tracks like the blues-tinged "Bring It On" with its lonely guitar and dobro, or the country-flavored "The Ballad of Jake Spoon" with its quirky intro. The CD itself is a self portrait of sorts with bare-bones recordings as well as full fledged productions, starts and stops and ends with a live "on-air" recording of "Talkin' Rude Blues." Fans of Jason will enjoy this recording, and it should win him others."