Album Notes

Sea of Is – All the Little Things

All the Little Things is the third CD release by “Sea of Is”, the musical entity created by singer/songwriter Jon Redditt. It was recorded in a similar fashion as the previous two “Sea of Is” albums --usually late at night, in his basement, and with exhaustive detail put into each track. The first album in a series of four, All the Little Things was originally conceived with the working title “Summer”. An album filled with upbeat ditties and popular influences, All the Little Things is noticeably more sun-baked than Redditt’s previous work, and likely will be the lightest installment in the quadrilogy. This is not to say that the album lacks maturity --even though it’s rooted in the warm months of summer, it comes off more as a reflective portrait of the season than a carefree romp.

Styles and influences abound on All the Little Things. Breaking from the heartbroken ballads of his previous work Honest(l)y, Redditt branches out by incorporating old-time blues, campfire folklore, and even ragtime into his compositions. The heartened playing and seemingly carefree lyrics on tracks like “Brown Cat (Blue Grass)” and “What is Wrong?” slip perfectly between longer, bittersweet tracks like “Mind Blowing Wind” and “In the Bath”. On the other hand, tracks like “Go it Alone” and “Old Daddy Longlegs” invite the inevitable Lennon/McCartney comparisons with their well-crafted pop tendencies. As the sole performer on the album, (with the exception of a guest performance by his father in “Kathmandu”) All the Little Things showcase Jon Redditt’s musical versatility. It’s an album of both figurative and literal layers, with homemade string sections and tweaked harmonies that are painstakingly collaged together.

Listeners will be captivated by the subtle confessional world that Jon Redditt weaves through Sea of Is. Where the ambitious four-disc project will go remains to be seen, but the glowing summer tones of All the Little Things will surely increase the listeners’ anticipation for all seasons to come.