Reviewed by Ewan Jones

Jeff Caylor's debut album is a fun, intimate 11 track gem. Caylor is based in Colorado Springs, but a sleek Nashville-country-folk feel pervades the majority of the tracks on 'Okay'. Having said that, Caylor also gleans liberally from other genres - the standout tracks for me were the cool jazz funk of "Pain Is A Megaphone" and "Standing Still". They raised my spirits and kept the pace from feeling slow, particularly after soulful ballad "Equilibrium" and R&B-tinged "Perspective" acting as the album's centrepiece. The pace picks up again for "Moving Backwards" which features a tight beat and a great piano solo. "The Ballad Of Jon Turner" seems to have been inspired by the death of a well loved man that Caylor never knew (or got to know well) - it says much about the quality of the songwriting that it manages to be an upbeat reflection on the value of life without being macabre or tasteless. Comparisons to Bebo Norman, Caedmon's Call and Gary Jules are not unfair, but Caylor appears to have enough of a back catalogue and imagination to keep slices of originality and unique touches central to his songs. Caylor admits that "I have years of embarrassing tape archives and audio experiments" but perhaps the time that it's taken to see this debut emerge accounts for the fact that this accomplished collection of songs feels fresh and assured. 'Okay' is a modest title for an album that is much, much better than okay.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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