JP Smits
JP Smit has made his rounds in the Ontario, Canada music scene. Mostly due to the fact that his vocals have hit the stage and recorded albums as the frontman for an independent band named Zacc’s Tree, later renamed to [[[h]eadspace]]. JP decided to leave that band however last year – which is now defunct anyway – to pursue a solo career of his own. And after much hard work, his first solo album is now available. But is it worth checking out?
Titled “Waiting Here,” JP’s solo endeavor consists of twelve tracks and runs for just over forty-five minutes. At the producing helm is Jamie k (guitarist of Thousand Foot Krutch) as well as Smits himself, and overall they both seem to do a solid production job.
Musically the album falls under the contemporary/rock category. While a lot of the songs feel upbeat, Smits still keeps things laid back to a certain extent by putting his acoustic guitar constantly at the forefront. But regardless of the instruments used, it is evident that Smits has a knack for writing catchy hooks and melodies that listeners will definitely enjoy.
The same can be said for his lyrical content, which seems to be done rather well. Other people included in the writing process are former Zacc’s Tree/[h]eadspace members Jason Rusnak, Jamie Kennedy, Jamie k, Thousand Foot Krutch frontman Trevor McNevan (he helps write the gratifying “24 Years”), and James Kennedy.
Overall, Waiting Here is definitely a good debut solo album for JP Smits. It has nine original songs of defining lyrics and catchy melodies, an enjoyable cover of the famous worship song “Breathe” (which also has some cool guitar tracks), an instrumental song leading into Breathe, and a bonus fun track called “Answering Machine.” Sure, it may not be breaking any new grounds, but it’s still a decent enough first effort going from this Ontario-native. Definitely consider checking him out if you get the chance.
Source: http://www.renownmagazine.com/main/modules.php?module=reviews&id=236
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