NEW ARTIST: JAYMES YOUNG

Captivating new artist Jaymes Young blends his hearty pop pedigree seamlessly with an obvious affinity for soaring electronic instrumentation and tender vocals to make pop music that is unique and distinctly his own. Young’s songs range from hard-hitting, heavy electronica to delicate guitar-centered ballads. His silky smooth voice croons effortlessly over this wide range of genres and lends some cohesion to his body of work. It’s clear from the get-go that Young’s distinct and soulful voice is the real engine of his music. It’s the centerpiece of every song, and everything else going on is there simply to showcase Young’s vocal talent.

Special thanks to exceptional curator Duffster for bringing Young to our attention – it’s not every day that you encounter an artist like this.

Young’s obviously broad range of influences makes him a distinct anomaly in a world where long-winded genre descriptions are all too common. It’s nice to see an artist that makes the music they want to make without feeling confined to some hyper-specific genre identity.

This broad range of influences and styles is showcased well across three of Young’s songs. First off there’s the heavily electronic pop track “Darkstar” (not to be confused with Radiohead’s track of the same name).

This plodding, heavily modulated track shows Young digging deeply into his electronic influences and coming back with a catchy beat that lets his soulful voice really shine.

In the song “Moondust,” Young takes a totally different tact. This simplistic, guitar-centric ballad is about as bare bones as a song can get. Backed by nothing but his guitar Young croons a star-crossed ballad about lost love and heartache – topics for which his style is perfectly suited.

The final song from Young seems to be an almost perfect blend of the first two tracks. In “One Last Time” Young utilizes some of the electronic effects and soaring choral arrangements of “Darkstar” while driving the melody of the song with his guitar.

Young’s voice is still the centerpiece of this track, and rightfully so. His distinct vocal style blends well with the chorus of voices in the background to craft a surreal and haunting song.

Young obviously pulls from a wide range of influences when making his music, but it avoids coming across as confused or jumbled. Young has obviously found his niche in the music world and has learned how to shape his various influences into his own unique sound.

This range makes each of Young’s songs distinct and interesting; it keeps them engaging and fresh where so many other pop artists quickly become stale.

Young may not be the most innovative or groundbreaking pop artist to come around in recent memory, but you don’t always need to be breaking the mold. Young does what he does and he does it well, and sometimes that’s all you can ask an artist to do.

About Danny Rudzinski

Danny “Drudzins” Rudzinski is an experienced freelance writer, designer and Internet marketer, a semi-professional musician, and an amateur photographer. Danny writes a wide variety of content for the web, covering everything from music to Internet marketing. He has been passionate about music from a young age and has developed some strong – and not always popular – opinions on the matter. Danny’s favorite things include Reddit, unrelenting pessimism, and general carousing and revelry.