Jared McCloud - Vacancy (self-released)

There is a point, right at the beginning of the album opener, “A Kind of Love that Will Tear You Apart”, where the staccato beats that conjure memories of Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” crash into that swelling Danny Federici organ wave that powered the most dynamic moments of Springsteen’s E Street Band, that makes you realise that Jared McCloud is someone who understands the classic rock and roll sound.

I’m not saying that he is copying either of them or anyone else for that matter, but I am saying that he drinks at the same sonic water fountain as many of the past greats. And classic is the uniting word here. As Vacancy wanders any number of sounds and styles, the songs’ quality, agility, authority, honesty, and integrity are the common factors. This, in turn, makes for a set of songs that feel familiar, as if you are revisiting old favourites, whilst also being as fresh, fun, and forward-thinking as it gets. And if that isn’t the definition of classic, I don’t know what is.

Recent single “Tramp Like Me” proves his prowess with the mid-paced, balladic form, “Mama”‘s honesty and reflective nature show his willingness to wear his heart on his sleeve, a cross between a gentle memory of the past and a real “I’ll show the bastards” rant and “Vacancy Blues” takes us into the sort of bitter-sweet heart land that Ryan Adams played to perfection.

Then there are songs such as “Hello, My Name is Standing Joke”, which blend humour, introspection and no small amount of self-deprecation with a raw rock and roll spirit, always a great combination.

Any artist who can so easily evoke such classic names whilst ploughing their unique sonic furrow is undoubtedly an artist that we will be hearing a lot more of in the future.