Slow It Down, Take a Step Back
© Copyright-Jason Bennett
(614346039572)
Record Label: Eleven Mile Records
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"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."
SING OUT MAGAZINE
Summer, 2008 issue
'Slow It Down, Take a Step Back' is the fifth full-length CD release by folk singer-songwriter Jason Bennett. The CD features nine original songs composed by Bennett and one Bob Dylan cover, Shooting Star.
“Many of the songs from this album came together in a common thread, a familiar state of mind, a somewhat fragile place” Bennett states. “It is becoming very difficult in today’s society to find a quiet moment, take a deep breath or watch the clouds drift by.” Bennett spells this out in the song ‘Too Damn Fast’; “This world has forgotten how to breathe and it’s got me on my knees. I need to slow it down, take a step back. Can you all just shut up while I hit the sack?”
On this recording you will hear acoustic and pedal-steel guitars, a lonesome harmonica and delicate, warm vocals cradled with shimmering harmonies. You will hear children’s laughter. You will hear rain and thunder. You will hear songs that cry out in desperation, close to the point of giving up; “I cried for the first hundred miles. And I cried for a thousand more. And I tried to put it all behind me. But that ain’t working anymore.”
The album is not all dark, however. There are times for laughter, which are evident in songs like “Between My Lines” and “Old Monkey John”. But the common theme in this album is slowing things down and examining what is real and what is not. Waking up in a tent on the beach and watching the morning fog roll in. Taking the time to listen to the pitter patter of the rain. These are the moments that are captured on this recording and are obviously things that touch the soul of this songwriter. Slow it down, take a step back. You’re damn right.
Songs:
1. Too Damn Fast
2. Between My Lines
3. Shooting Star
4. The First Hundred Miles
5. Less Is More
6. Too Much Paperwork
7. Old Monkey John
8. Fog Rolling In
9. Jason Bennett’s 115th Dream
10. Daddy’s Hand (Song for Quinn)
Musicians on this album are:
Jason Bennett: Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Dan Dameron: Harmony vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, wax paper comb
Rich Currier: Pedal-Steel guitar, acoustic guitar, harmony vocals
Tom Stringer: Violin
Produced by: Dan Dameron and Jason Bennett
Jason Bennett's available recordings are:
2001- The Atascadero Sessions
2004- Self Portrait
2005- Acoustic Harbor
2006- Mindchange
2008- Slow It Down, Take a Step Back
All albums are available here on cdbaby.com
Official Jason Bennett website: www.bennettfolk.com
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Singer/songwriter, www.abbyparks.com
author: Abby Parks
The underlying theme of Jason Bennett's latest album is summarized in the title, which seems to echo his desire for simplicity, reflected in tracks like "Too Damn Fast," "Less Is More," and "Too Much Paperwork." "Daddy's Hand" is a sweet lullaby-style ballad in which he advises his son to "take it slow, drink it all in." And he tells of his own sense of urgency that his son is growing up too fast. As he tells his child to savor time, the land, nature, he is striving to do the same himself. Track one "Too Damn Fast" starts with thunder and rain accompanied by a deep western guitar track with lilting steel guitar lines woven in. The effect of the music underlying Jason's gentle and melodic voice is soothing, slow, dream-like. "Too damn fast, too damn fast, someone slow it down and make it last. . . " is the quiet cry of this song, and the effect is achieved. Bennett gets in touch with nature and love in songs like "Shooting Star" and "Fog Rolling In," both songs you'd like to hear him sing under the stars in front of a campfire. "Too Much Paperwork" is more deliberate in its message. He decries paperwork, noise, filth, in a track with a guitar effect on the lead that's noisy and electronic, echoing the meaning of the words. Very cool tune here. Tracks in the album are supported by guitar, steel guitar, harmonica, and Jason's artful folk voice with a touch of twang. Listening in is like taking an excursion into the mountains, drinking in all that you can, and leaving with a sense of having found what's most important in life. I'd recommend this album in a heartbeat!
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