Crazy Place Has Potential, But Needs Direction

Jag Star's first release Crazy Place has alot to offer in the musical arena, especially in the pop arena. Sarah Lewis's voice lingers between the likes of Heather Nova or The Corrs, flowing over very strong chords and the occasional violin. Musically, this album is beautiful and very well done, using pieces of electronica and pianos to make a foundation.

The song Home boasts a sample from Sarah's cousin Tim Fox's musical career, and is quite catchy with an electronica beat.The first song on the album, Mouth, sounds very similiar to The Corrs. Though in alot of songs, Jag Star doesn't seem to build up to an intense chorus, just blasting out without any kind of audible tease. A lot of songs start out very simple, and relaxing, but then usually just run right into a chorus composed of happy loud chords.The same formula seems to be used to compose several of these songs, thus making them harder to stand out.

The background vocals on this album are marvelous, blending nicely to deliver a harmonized pop sound. It's wonderful to hear a violin being used as well in several of these songs. Lyrically, this album is very simple, and could use some help structuring these songs. I think this band has a lot of potential, but it needs to be channeled in the right direction on the next album. It seems like the talent is definitely there, but perhaps they just need a different producer. All in all, this album is decent but does have some trouble spots in which it lacks certain elements. I recommend it highly if you enjoy the mainstream sounds of pop with a splash of Sneaker Pimps' music.