An unadorned, beautiful collection of songs. He has a great voice, a soulful instrument that oozes personality, and his song writing has a lively quality that's fresh and personal without ever copping out for each cliches.

7 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Folk Pop, ROCK: Roots Rock



Details:
"Jeff Stewart's latest release is an unadorned, beautiful collection of songs. He has a great voice, a soulful instrument that oozes personality, and his song writing has a lively quality that's fresh and personal without ever copping out for each cliches. This is the work of an artist who bears a bit of a sonic resemblance to Bruce Springsteen and he deserves a much wider audience." Rod Lockwood, Toledo Blade

For âMix Tape Blues,â Jeff Stewartâs approach is straight-forward: a man, his guitar, and a wide-eyed look at that crazy thing called love. Over the course of these tightly crafted original songs, Stewart paints the picture of a heart, once broken, suddenly surprised by the good fortune of discovering love anew. Itâs music for anyone that has ever walked into the sunshine of a new future, however uncertain.

The disc opens with the cascading rhythms of âHouse of Love.â Over a double tracked vocal harmony, Stewart wraps us in the lazy morning haze of âSlow Down and Breathe,â stating his intention to âthink about my girl and dream away the day.â An air of resignation hangs over âForty Dollar Dress,â with the storyteller acknowledging âwhat a beautiful mess,â yet still thankful that he âended up with you and this forty dollar dress.â

With âCanât Sit Still,â Stewart confidently strides into folk-rock territory. With lines like, âShe buys a new shirt. Itâs a little bit too tight â right there,â he demonstrates a deft talent for giving just enough information, yet allowing the listener a personalized image. In the title track, âMix Tape Blues,â Stewart summons up the magic of his favorite songs, and their ability to be forever associated with a certain time, place or lover.

In âMorning Side,â the singer extends an invitation to run away, before closing out with the bouncy âSay Goodnite.â The glee of lyrics like âI searched for grace, but found you firstâ not only demonstrate the ironies of modern romance, but sum up the good-time feel of Stewartâs personality and musical vision, as well.

Playing as many as 240 shows a year, Stewart is comfortable sharing his vibratto-tinged voice and aggressive guitar playing with a live audience. His discography includes self-released projects with The Flecks and The Starlings. Together with producer Gregg Leonard, Stewart has placed songs in four different movies.

Stewartâs songwriting is complimented by his second career as a visual artist, which pays the special dividend of being able to supply his own cover art, in this case a self-portrait inspired by the Miles Davis album, âSketches of Spain.â