By Jennifer Colbourne (Staff Writer) – Email
Anybody familiar with the music scene in Chilliwack has heard of Jason Guill. Over the past couple of years, he has cornered the coffee shop scene, usually playing acoustic guitar accompanied by his fraternal twin brother Bruce. On March 5, he released his much anticipated self-entitled debut album Jason Guill at a packed-out, standing-room-only launch at Tractorgrease Studio.
Jason Guill’s music is strongly influenced by blues, classic rock, folk and old country, and a mix of artists ranging from Johnny Cash and Hank Williams to John Mayer and Coldplay. While this is evident when listening to Guill’s album, Guill still very much has his own distinct sound. His voice especially is very warm and rich, and capable of breaking smoothly into quite a beautiful falsetto that is somewhat reminiscent of Chris Martin.
Guill’s real talent, however, lies in his guitar playing skill. Many musicians play guitar well, but Guill plays guitar like a master, effortlessly playing the most difficult blues riffs, yet with an ear to the music. He is not a show-off guitarist who hot dogs for the sake of boosting his ego. His music has a very professional sound, and his first album does not at all seem amateur. It seems that Guill has waited this long to release an album in order to perfect what he does; it may be short, but every song is of quality and not full of the usual dreck debuting artists tend to stuff their albums with.
Without a doubt the best song on the album is “Crazy.” It’s got a very catchy chorus, and gives the listener a genuine feel-good moment when hearing it. One can’t resist moving along with the rhythm to it, and Guill’s voice is really quite dazzling in its higher range. Of the entire album, it actually doesn’t seem unlikely that “Crazy” could become a hit song on the radio. While the other songs are quite good, especially “Walk that Line” and “Ashes,” they tend to pale in comparison with “Crazy.” If Guill continues in that genre, it is very foreseeable that he could make a career in the John Mayer, James Blunt, Dallas Green held area of pop.
Probably the only criticism one can level at Guill’s new album is with the lyrics; while technically good, admittedly there isn’t much there that is strikingly original except perhaps the song “Ashes,” an apocalyptic and eerily moving song. Guill is clearly sticking to the folk and blues tradition of storytelling, and in that respect it is difficult to fault him for not having more poetical lyrics; but on the other hand, with such greats as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, there certainly is precedent for lyrical artistry in the genre.
Overall, Jason Guill’s debut album is outstandingly mature and professional. The songs are all quite enjoyable and have a wide-ranging base of appeal. Now that Guill is starting to get radio play, it is likely we will hear more of him in the future. In the meantime, Guill still plays locally quite frequently; it is highly recommended to catch a show sometime and pick up a copy of his great new album.
