Jacob Ray is a multi-talented 20 year old singer song-writer from the Houston area. He draws his influences from a span of artists such as John Mayer, Bon Iver and Matt Corb. Due to his wide array of influences, Ray’s songwriting skills are diverse and cover a range of genres. Although relatively new to the music scene, Ray and his band have been playing in the Houston area for a few years now. After establishing his sound, Ray has released his debut EP, 'Edible Sound', which was self-produced with every instrument played by Ray.
The first song on the EP is “Still Remains.” The intro to the song begins with an acoustic guitar progression with a melodic acoustic guitar layered on top. Entering the first verse, Ray's vocals come in showcasing his crystal clear tone as he gracefully transitions between his falsetto and chest voice. “Still Remains” is a simple song with beautiful melodies that will stick with you and leave a great first impression. The lyrics are poetic and relatable as he sings about remembering past love. The chorus is excellent. “I remember, the things you said filled up my head/And my lungs inhaled, all of your sweet breath/And my heart it had to take the blame/And yet the willow tree it still remains.” “Still Remains” is a very strong start to this EP and will have you hooked on Ray’s music right from the get-go.
The next song on the EP picks up the pace with a an up-tempo groove. “From The Start” kicks off with a pulsing kick, snare drum beat accompanied by a nice guitar lick and some ambient synths in the background leading into the first verse. Singing, “Driving around, trying to forget about All of my dreams, that make me who I want to be,” you can tell from the start (no pun intended) that Ray has a knack for writing infectious songs. He layers his vocals in octaves making a nice effect throughout the song. “From The Start” was a great song to follow up the slower, more acoustic vibe of “Still Remains” and is a great addition to the collective EP.
Another great song delivered off this EP is “Last Breath.” This song starts by setting a nice ambience with highly reverberated drums and guitar with a droning synth in the background. This song talks about ending a relationship. In the first verse he sings, “Burning bridges just because/I know it's better for the both of us/Falling in and out of love/For the sake of breaking down your trust,” giving us a very personal perspective before leading to the chorus when he sings, “Here I am/I'm down to my last breath/I'll use the air/To get off what's been in my chest.” This song conveys a message that is easy to relate to through gorgeous melodies that will stay with you creating a truly memorable music experience.
A song that definitely deserves attention off of this EP is “Didn’t Want This.” This song is a great example of how Ray can draw from his different influences to create his own differentiating styles. Using layered vocals to yield a choir effect, accompanied by a guitar line and drum beat, Ray composed a hauntingly captivating arrangement for this song. This song is about the struggles of relationships and trying as hard as you can to make it through even when things are rough. He sings in the first verse, “I miss the warmth of your touch,/ I feel it when i'm in my head/Things are getting crazy, /but that don't mean i'm bout to leave/I was hoping that maybe, you could lay here with me.” Another interesting aspect of the song is the utilization of everyday objects to create sounds and effects (like using a brush on a door).
Check out this video of his contagious blues track called "Love Ain't Enough." This song has an excellent hook that will have you singing along. It is laced with nice blues guitar leads as well.
Overall, 'Edible Sound', is a undoubtedly great EP showing that Ray, who is still a young artist, has what it takes. Ray's work is insightful as he sings about the complexities of love and relationships in an extremely relatable way through chilling melodies and gorgeous instrumental arrangements. This self-recorded EP speaks volumes about Ray as a breaakout artist. For more information visit his website