John Haesemeyer Maybe If I Try Review by Gary Hill
I suppose the best description of this five song EP would be "pop music." Every song here is accessible and mainstream. The whole thing just seems to lack direction a little. It feels a bit like John Haesemeyer threw a lot of different styles at the wall to see what stuck. All that said, though, each song has good hooks. The vocals are clean and on target. Much of this wanders outside my zone of "chosen music," but I can appreciate the talent and song-writing.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Big Balloon
Pop music, country and folk all seem to merge on the opener. This is a compelling and accessible cut. I love the bridge on the piece. The whole song works well, though.
Maybe If I Try There is a bit more of a rock edge to this. It's not as instantly accessible as the opener, but it's good. It has a bit more depth and power to it. I love the rocking section later, and the female vocals really soar.
Room for Two This song isn't as effective for me. It's bit more like an 80s pop song. That's not one of my favorite types of music. Still, this is catchy and brings some definite variety to the table.
There's Still Time This is closer to adult contemporary music. It's not far removed from the kind of thing that shows up in musical theater. Again, it's done well, but not really my kind of thing.
Theory This ballad is more like the opener than anything else here is. There is plenty of folk music built into it, along with some country. The strings lean more toward the kind of adult contemporary sound we heard in the last tune. This is one of the stronger cuts here, and a good choice to close the set. It has some spoken stuff in the later parts of the piece.
