Jason Martin - Welcome Home

Jason Martin

Welcome Home
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Jason Martin has been rocking out for a while now. He started to play professionally when he was fifteen and over the next ten years he continued to perfect his craft. In 2011 he released his debut entitled First Sign of Light and followed it up with The Blackout Sessions in 2012. His latest is a six song EP entitled Welcome Home, which is a mixture of rock, blues and country. It’s a well-written EP that is quite eclectic. Each song has a different flavor but at the same time it doesn’t sound too out there that the songs don’t feel connected.

Martin comes out of the gates with one of my personal favorites entitled “Welcome Home.” It is a gritty song with a heavy dose of attitude that revolves around a guitar riff that reminds me of something Aerosmith would have played back in the ‘70s. It’s a good bar room brawler type song and its best moments are a little after the two-minute mark where you hear some great lead guitar.

The second track “Let Me Stare” is upbeat rock/pop song with a notable chorus. It rocks pretty hard and Martin’s vocal melodies are instantly catchy. On top of that there are more impressive lead guitars you won't want to miss.

“I Am The Sea” is the first deviation in style and delivery. This is a straightforward country ballad. It instills a sense of nostalgia and melancholy when you listen yet Martin’s vocal feels powerful and hopeful.  “I Am The Sea” is grand and feels big but the next song “Music & A Working Man” is quite the opposite. It puts Martin’s vocals and acoustic guitar front and center. He closes with “I-65,” which felt like the most commercially accessible song on the EP. The song strives for some epic rocking as it progresses. When it arrives at a climax you don’t think it could go any farther but it does.

Welcome Home is an enjoyable EP all around. Martin’s songs have more of a mainstream appeal but you can’t deny his talent for songwriting.

Become A Fan

Tweet