Jay Clark - Never Too Late

Jay Clark

​Never Too Late
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

By Santiago Garcia

Jay Clark hails from good ‘ole Ohio and has been making rock music for quite some time. He spent most of his musical days playing in cover bands and gained his style, sound and vibe from the many different bands and influences he and his mates covered. He recently decided to put down his own lyrics and compose his own songs, and head down to Nashville, Tennessee to record his first album, titled Never Too Late. 

Never Too Late features a nice set of rock songs that vary a bit in sound and style. Overall, the album gives us a pop-rock and southern-rock sound that is fun to listen to and head-bang away with. Jay Clark likes to write songs that tell a story, from real life experiences that make this album relatable and fun to listen to also. 

The first track “Freight Train” opens up with a very traditional pop-rock, southern-rock sound. The electric guitars come in dancing away with a whiney, twangy southern rock sound. The vocalist has a confident but calm voice, like a more subdued Kid Rock. The vocalist takes center stage, but doesn’t overbear with a high range or loud voice. The guitarists showcase their talent, too, in this first track. They are obviously very talented, and shred an awesome, badass solo right around the bridge of this first track.

The band has great chemistry, the songs flow well with good transitions, which make this album easy to listen to. The next couple of songs, like “Shakedown” for example, are pretty similar to the first. They feature the same “boom, bap” rhythm and sound from the drums in the first song. The lyrics in the album are pretty straightforward with classic storytelling, like the old Offspring songs. This makes the album engaging, sometimes a bit cheesy, but it’s fun to listen to and dive into the story. 

The album does change pace a bit, like with the song “The River”, and which slows things down and is also a highlight. This track has a calmer, more unique sound. I think this type of sound and style fits the vocalist better than the southern-rock style of song. This track showcases the vocalist’s talents more and is a really nice listen. 

​The production of the album is great overall, very clean drums and the voice is easy to hear at all times. At times, the album arguably felt too personal and the southern-rock, pop-rock guitar riffs can get a bit repetitive, but overall it’s a fun album with a storyline that’ll keep you engaged with a band that knows how to rock.

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