Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Jesse Eplan – Dreams


Jesse Eplan – Dreams 


Jesse Eplan has released a wide variety of singles reflecting his interests in pop, rap, and hip hop music and the latest, “Dreams”, is his best yet. The blooming reputation of this young musical artist isn’t the result of being in the right place at the right time; instead, Eplan has put himself in this promising position through monumental talent and the sheer dint of hard work. He’s handled the production duties on this new song just as he has on all of his previous efforts and it’s thanks to his perfect pitch and abilities as a multi-instrumental that he’s able to pull this juggling act off so well. He’s been chasing after these musical dreams since first discovering his love for self-expression at the age of seven and through multiple bands, live appearances, television outings, and a growing chorus of praise, Eplan has retained the same commitment to finding inspiration in what he does and communicating that same feeling to the widest of possible audiences. 

His vocals are perfect for such aims. Eplan sounds quite comfortable in his own skin and in complete command of the song throughout. It’s thrilling to hear such a young singer and songwriter confidently navigate the twists and turns of a subject so front-loaded towards cliché and never strike a single overly-familiar note throughout. Instead, he picks listeners up from his first line and carries them through the entire lyric as if he alone were capable of sharing these experiences with the world at large. It’s particularly exciting to hear how he gradually responds more and more to the song, ratcheting up the emotional intensity, and making sure each listener will, in some way, respond differently to this song than others. This has such open-ended possibilities for interpretation that it wouldn’t be a shock if Eplan himself doesn’t sing it differently every time in a live setting. 

It’s a remarkable lyric for the form. Instead of composing some ode to seeing all of his dreams come true and staying relentlessly upbeat throughout, Eplan throws a little light swagger into the mix and the knowledge that success, like many of the other phenomenon we go through in life, is illusory or has little permanence. He delivers those sort of lines with emphatic conviction that the other lines don’t lack and blends his emotional stances so artfully that it will be impossible for listeners to ignore his skill.  

The musical backing focuses on create a strong R&B setting for these musings. If someone tells you that it’s hard to pull off rhythm and blues with electronic instruments, the soulful color of this song should conclusively prove that’s a lie. Instead, “Dreams” has the sort of slow burn we expect from the best R&B balladry and doesn’t go in for any of the saccharine turns populating so many similar tracks. Jesse Eplan’s “Dreams” is his best recorded work to date and heralds a turning point of sorts – this isn’t some unknown commodity making great music in a vacuum, but a steadily rising commercial and artistic force capable of turning heads and ears alike. 


Charles Hatton

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