Jared McCloud - Painful Words Of Loving Grace

A little background before I start this review. I've known Jared McCloud for a little while now. I reviewed his album Romance Of The Atlantic a while back and even got the opportunity to play a rain soaked show on bass with him (an amazing experience). Throughout the time I've known Jared he's always given me a hard time that I gave his last album only 4 stars out of 5. So when it came time to review his newest release, Painful Words Of Loving Grace, I knew he really wanted 5 stars on it. I knew of the hard work he poured into it. And as much as I wanted to give him 5 stars I couldn't bring myself to do it just out of mere friendship.

My mind was put to ease when I popped in the CD and was immediately drawn into his newest creation. It begins with the subdued Awake, backed only by an acoustic guitar and Morse code (yup, Morse code). It's a excellent way to intro the album. But the second track, The Current State Of Things To Come is when I realized that Jared has grown considerably as a song writer. It still retains the “Jared McCloud” sound while introducing interesting chord changes and a more mature vocal melody.

Jared wears his emotions on his sleeve for the majority of the album. Opening his heart but never sounding vulnerable. And Jared's band rises to the occasion as well. Dan Xenatro's bass is stellar in The Comet and really creates the atmosphere of which the song floats above. Drummer Marc Charette again shows himself to be the rock behind Jared's often unorthodox chord structures.

The stand out track for me is the rocker Behind Doors Closed. A simple, yet in your face pop-sensible anthem. It's a modern take on post-grunge alternative from the mid to late 90's. Followed by a folky and well picked Only Chemicals and Baby's Sweet Lullaby. The album closes on No Place For Lovers, an ethereal, bluesy track looking for hope in a hopeless world.

It's hard to compare Jared McCloud to any contemporary artists. And that's a good thing. The majority of the album is acoustic rock, but touches of electric guitar hide around many corners. He blends rock, folk, pop and even touches of traditional Irish music into his songs of life, pain, love gained and love lost. The production on the album is stunning. This is an album that is never comfortable being a “local band” CD. It's clear Jared is shooting for far bigger things. And I would easily say he succeeded.

Jared has asked me time and time again why Romance Of The Atlantic only received 4 stars and I've told him it was missing something. But I could never quite put my finger on what exactly it was missing. Well, Jared, THIS is what was missing; you found it. Painful Words Of Loving Grace contains the intricacies and complexities of a seasoned song writer while retaining the pop-catchiness of an accessible rock record. I'm proud to give this album 5 stars.