Falcon; Jes: Fake Bluff

OK, first up I need to get something off my chest. There's a "Warning" printed on the back of the little booklet that accompanies Fake Bluff by Jes Falcon, which I'll quote...

"...he [Jes Falcon] kindly asks all critics to be constructive, intelligent and classy and all praise to be public, clear, loud and published in every possible way and media. In other words, if you don't have anything useful, or nice to say, shut up!"

Which translates to - I only want good reviews... Well, why send the album out to critics then?

Anyway, what Jes is worrying about I'm not too sure, as while this debut album is a little rough around the edges and his voice is possibly a little too heavily accented for some people's tastes, Fake Bluff is an enjoyable, straight rock album in a singery, songwritery kind of way. I doubt very much that it will blow your socks off, but I also would be surprised if you didn't find yourself singing along, nodding in approval, or smiling at the clever lyrics. "No Cover" kicks things off with a simple beat allowing the easy going to riff to burrow into your mind, while the smooth guitar solo adds a little colour. From there "Hell Knows What I Did" offers up a little Latino grind that'll have you grooving along, before "She Came With The Rain" comes across like a latter day Aerosmith power-balled sounds before the sickly bombastic choirs and strings strangled it to death. It would be fair to suggest that Jes can turn his hand to heartfelt and impassioned with great ease.

We'd all like to be removed from everyday life for a while, an emotion that "Kidnap Me" describes perfectly in a swaying Americana kind of way, although "Funny Skinny Girl" suffers from an obtrusive hi-hat shuffle that smothers the dirty riff and crazed voice. In truth the accented vocals are left a little too exposed on "Unbeatable Absence" and "Hallucinatory Clarity", but that doesn't stop either from being catchy, bubbly straight up rock shuffles that are well worth regular revisits. Unfortunately, as a "bonus", the album closes with three demo tracks which add little to what is up till this stage a good, fun listen. Sometimes songs that were meant be a guide for greater things, should remain that way.

As debuts go, Fake Bluff is an album that suggests Jes Falcon has a knack for writing songs that have the ability to slap a smile on your face. If he can iron out one or two teething problems, there's every possibility it could be the start of long, fruitful journey.

I just hope I was complimentary enough.....

Track Listing
1. No Cover
2. San Francisco Square
3. Hell Knows What I Did
4. She Came With The Rain
5. Nights Are Not The Same Without You
6. Kidnap Me
7. The Farring
8. Funny Skinny Girl
9. Unbeatable Absence
10. Hallucinatory Clarity

Added: May 12th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Jes Falcon MySpace
Hits: 1851
Language: english

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