Folk Rock is Alive & Well (and has a bright future!)
by McVinyl
Jesse Aycock, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has created an album of melodic rock tunes tinged with folk and alt-country a la Neil Young (who you can clearly hear echoes of in Jesse's vocals.) I've been listening to this record for a while, and it is really full of excellent tracks all the way through. For a debut recording, "Life's Ladder" is highly accomplished, thanks to Jesse's super solid song-writing skills and guitar playing, and the backing of some fine Tulsa musicians, including Jared Tyler on various strings (and producer/engineer as well,) Brian Lee on keyboards, Reed Mathis on bass (of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey fame,) Josh Raymer on drums (also of JFJO,) Don Geesling on organ, as well as appearances by Dustin Pittsley, Jeff Porter, Al Rey, Anais Mitchell, Rachel Ries, and Jesse's brother Dylan laying down some sweet turntable scratching on the first track, "Burned Out."
The songs on the album range from the influences of the aformentioned Neil Young, (along with some CSN, Byrds, and Emmylou Harris) to a bit of funky southern-fried rock in the vein of Little Feat, but all done with Jesse's own modern sensibilities. With a keen ear for the past, Jesse creates new music that is fresh and memorable. "Life's Ladder" is a welcome sign that popular music is alive and well, and that great song-writing and musicianship are thriving all over the place, including Tulsa, Oklahoma.
