The vocal harmonies that kick in the first seconds let you know these are high-quality musicians that know what they’re doing. “I want to fall right off the deep end/ I want something to feel real/ Wishing love felt like the first time/ When my heart was over-filled” with highly emotional depicting lyrics, Jack & Honey feel very much like a unicorn in the current music industry: acid jazz music with soul vocals.
After a good 15 minutes of being severely flushed with exertions over how damn near everybody miscategorized their genre in previous articles, I’ve pulled my thoughts together and will now proceed to share with you, as calmly as I possibly can, just how important and glorious is the music that Jack & Honey is bringing to the table.
First, a quick memo from Wikipedia: “Acid jazz, also known as club jazz, is a music genre that combines elements of jazz, soul, funk, and disco. Acid jazz originated in the London club scene of the mid-1980s in the rare groove movement and spread to the United States, Japan, Eastern Europe, and Brazil.” Do we have jazz in Thrill? we sure do, that sax is of peculiar ferocity and steals the show whenever it comes in. Shout out to Sam Rosenfeld, the band member behind this suave instrument. Do we have soul in it? undoubtedly! John Moran’s sensational voice bursts into fiery alternations from laid-back tonalities into crowd-engaging ad-libs like “c’mon”, “hey”, and “woo”. Do we hear funk in the song? damn right we do. Will Kencel’s warm bass dashes into a wild pursuit along with John’s guitar, rendering the song a delightful treat to groove lovers. How about disco? Check too! Charlie Mischer’s commanding drums next to the airy keys played by Jake Aronson, ground the song’s rhythm into those ’70s disco vibes. Verdict? Jack & Honey is intensely reviving a golden genre that originates as far back as the ’60s: acid jazz.
The vocal chorus of Thrill feels rather like a pre-chorus to the instrumental hook: “I need a thrill, I need a thrill, I need a thrill/ I’m tired of acting like I’m happy standing still/ I need a thrill, I need a thrill, I need a thrill/ I’m in control, but it won’t hold cuz I lost the will”, with a refreshing emotional lethargy, the lyrics evoke the feel of amusing desperation mixed with ironic disdain for life’s monotony. A very complex, multi-faceted meaning behind such light, optimistic instruments. You can almost touch every member’s essence through the unique and very specific components they each carry to make up this one song.
There’s one part of the song that stands out most curiously: “I’ve been f*cking up with all my friends/ Burning bridges for the heat/ In the company of strangers/ I’ll be anybody’s freak” – sheesh, talk about letting go 😀 from a psychological perspective, it’s very interesting how one is terminating lots of existing relationships but will happily succumb to the company of strangers. Sounds like self-inflicting a dramatic narrative to make up for the predictable outcomes. We need a follow-up song Jack & Honey!!! 😀 We need the tea!
Make sure you add this gorgeous track to your playlists on Amazon HERE, on Apple Music HERE, on Google Play HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2020
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 