Album Notes

Music Appreciation: A, C.., D, silent W

When asked about making the new record Still Yes, 19-year-old Michigan native Jon Rajewski looks a bit like a kid who was just caught stealing. He's in shock, a little shy and praying someone will believe his version of what just happened to him.

One minute he's a book-dragging college freshman at MSU, the next he's collaborating with a super-group of sorts on songs he wrote while he should have been paying attention in music appreciation class.

"It's still unbelievable to me that these folks liked my music enough to play on the record," says Jon.

He may have reason to be humble too: Still relatively unknown to the musical community at large, he's joined on his debut by Bela Fleck & The Flecktones otherworldly horn blower Jeff Coffin, Vertical Horizon bassist Sean Hurley, Train keyboardist Brandon Bush, Eastmountain-south vocalist Kat Bode, and players whove recently backed Ben Folds, Charlotte Martin, and Ryan Adams.

Comparisons are inevitable, and fans are quick to liken his easy delivery and soulful melancholia to Jack Johnson or Nick Drake. But Jon covers the ground between those college radio touchstonesand then some convincingly on Still Yes.

From the feel-good lyric and trippy beat of Tree (stomping horn section courtesy of Jeff Coffin) to the earnest lullaby Los Angeles (featuring guest vocals from Kat Bode), the collection feels as layered and engaging as the artist himself.

These songs are tiny snapshots of my favorite things in life, but Id like to think they come together to make a picture of something new - and compelling, says Jon.

A glimpse at his snapshots reveals an unusually broad range of influences for such a young guy.

Soaking-in the bosa nova and surf guitar of Bulletproof, the French movie vibe of Strange Life, the radio-friendly jangle of Just One Lane, and the anthemic energy of On We Go, we realize why Jons high-brow musical heroes signed on to play on this newcomers record.

With piercing blue, TV-ready eyes and a smoky baritone equal parts tenderness and muscle, Jon Rajewski (the W is silent pronounced like uh jet ski) seems poised for stardom without ever courting it.

His record is smart and textured, at once accessible and artsy: Think John Mayer singing tunes Norah Jones might pen while partaking in the Caribbean.

Produced, engineered, and mixed by co-writer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Seals in Los Angeles and mastered by two-time Grammy winner Gavin Lurssen at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood, Still Yes introduces Jon Rajewski as far more than just another college kid with a guitar. He is an artist with a focused yet expansive vision and a skilled supporting cast.

Music Appreciation ... Grade A+