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JEFF LARSON
Fragile Sunrise

as reviewed by Jack Crompton at Amazon.com, April 30, 2008

Once there was the innocence, lost in distant past.

It is hard to choose a favorite Jeff Larson album. All his work is that good. With that said, I have to boil down this one, ‘Fragile Sunrise’ as the one that has the most of my favorite tunes on it. One listen to the opening track, ‘A Place Where I Belong’ had me seriously hooked for life, and I’ve never grown tired of that awesome song since. In my opinion, it is the perfect pop tune.

Jeff’s music is the definition of California Soft Rock, a path originally defined and paved by the popular bands, America and The Eagles. Interestingly enough, a frequent collaborator with Jeff is America’s Gerry Beckley and his unmistakable voice can be heard in harmony throughout this recording.

So here Jeff serves up a delicious menu of songs, mixing ballads with cleverly crafted electric/rocking pieces. The total album is incredible. Jeff is all about the arrangements, and they are pristine in their perfection. Gorgeous, multi-leveled harmonies float above the sweetest steel string acoustic guitar work you’ll ever hear. Tasty electric guitar embellishes and never distracts. Every sound has a purpose in its communication. I also particularly love ‘Faraway Mary’, ‘Half Moon Bay’, ‘Norman’, ‘Changing Colors’ and ‘Fields of May’.

Some artists, (James Taylor, for one), are just naturals in their songwriting ability and their skill in performance. Jeff Larson certainly falls in that category. His delivery sounds natural and effortless. His music harkens back to the very best of the late sixties, and its a refreshing find in this day of mindless drivel, stupid lyrics and banality in the music that is promoted by the corporate music overlords.

Thank God for artists like Jeff whose work we can have access to ‘under the radar’. Why, it’s enough to actually inspire hope for the future.

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