Jack Jeffery - Enlightened Horizon

Jack Jeffery

Enlightened Horizon
self-released; 2014

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Jack Jeffery is pretty consistent when it comes to his album releases. Four years ago he released his debut entitled Passage to Agadir, two years later he came out with The Constant That Remains and two years after that he released his latest entitled Enlightened Horizon. Maybe we can expect another album in 2016? HIs latest Enlightened Horizon contains atmospheric songs that fans of Pink Floyd and Brian Eno will eat up. That being said the songs have more in common with Pink Floyd than Brian Eno and in my opinion Jeffrey even sounds like Roger Waters at times when he sings.

These two artists may be reference points but Jeffery also does enough on this album to establish his own essence and originality. The songs embrace out of the box thinking and other elements that made me take notice. Take for instance one of the highlights of the album entitled “The Road That Never Ends.” The song doesn’t only contain some of the best vocal work by Jefferies but also combines banjo and guitar, which was quite unexpected but enjoyable. 

He continues to push his creativity by adding orchestral strings and additional vocal harmonies. I enjoyed the atmospheric material on the album but I have to say that the acoustic strings on this song sounded great and I was hoping for a little bit more. Food for thought for his next album.

Songs like “Continuum” are fleshed electronic arrangements that to my ears were completely vacant of organic instrumentation. I’m not saying this is a bad thing but a very different feel from “The Road That Never Ends.” In fact “Continuum” is downright danceable. The pounding force of the constant kick that gets layered with multiple synths could make anyone on the dance floor bust a move. 

“Amazing Grace/The Consequence of Love” revolves around distorted guitars and is basically straight up garage rock. Not much atmosphere just a solid song with a bit of attitude. Jefferies pulls a 180 with “Never Go Back to the Mountain.” The song is soft and barely sung above a whisper at times.

Enlightened Horizon is a mixed bag of songs. The album doesn’t just flirt but takes on some very different types of genres. This can give way to a rather inconsistent experience if you play the album from beginning to end. Overall, there is a lot to enjoy here as Enlightened Horizon contains a number of memorable moments. 

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