John Haesemeyer 2017
Maybe If I Try
Singer-songwriter from San Francisco refines his flair for confidential finesse.
Recorded in California and Argentina, this EP finds John Haesemeyer exploring various aspects of perseverance but, surprisingly, making determination sound easy. No mean feat, yet that’s how his talents unfold.
The record’s title track may start quite simple, the artist’s voice woven around acoustic strum, yet little by little the song’s scope opens up to optimistic possibilities, as brass and drums pump blood in the melody’s veins, illustrating the album’s theme in broad strokes and letting electric guitar soar. In a similar manner, the dreamy “Big Balloon” could hit hymnal heights, if it wasn’t kept down to earth with Haesemeyer’s intimate delivery that blows the tune out of its countrified bedrock and calls on the organ to flesh out the emotions, before John’s honeyed harmonies and a hint of funk take the piece to heaven.
Still, while “Room For Two” is playfully frisky and effervescent in its laying out of domestic bliss, the waltz of “There’s Still Time” – given a luxurious, if humble, swirl by a small orchestra – may be the ultimate embodiment of Haesemeyer’s romantic intent, although the chamber-like “Theory” would claim such a cinematic mantle too. With all this flowing so natural, the titular effort becomes devoid of doubt. No mean feat, yet that’s the way it should be.
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