Jake Herrick - Jake Herrick

Jake Herrick

Jake Herrick
self-released; 2015

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

I’ll make this easy for you. If you can’t get enough of artists like Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert then the self-titled album Jake Herrick from Jake Herrick will be essential listening for you. Herrick has been in a number of bands over the years and in 2006 decided to put his heart into instrumental guitar rock. 

I have to mention that I was surprised to hear Herrick did the recording and mixing because it certainly sounds competitive with any professional studio. The guitar tone is warm, round and robust. It’s very pleasing to the ears.

Truth be told there isn’t a whole lot you need to say about this type of music. All the songs feel closely related and could work as one song with one long continuous guitar solo. This virtuoso lead guitar type music is niche and Herrick isn’t doing anything too different here from the likes of Satriani and Gilbert that will interest anyone besides the diehards who already love this music. 

Herrick doesn’t waste anytime getting going with “Matters of the Heart” which showcases some of his technical skills. The drums, bass and rhythm guitar do their part but make no mistake about it that this is all about the lead. “Warrior” is a fast paced summer time jam while “Holding Back Tears” contains a decent amount of nostalgia.

As the album progresses the songs start to run in each. It took me a couple of spins to really have a sense if I had any preferences. I would say that “Dreams of Dreams” was one of my favorites by a minor margin.

At the end of the day you won’t need much time with this album to realize if it’s your cup of tea. Judge for yourself and take a listen.

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