At first listen, Jack Savoretti appears to share more than a name with another guitar-slinging Jack. Unlike his name-sake - Johnson. The 25-year-old's acousta-pop has the added depth of alt. country, the blues and folk influences. Having only picked up a guitar at 16, the half-Italian, half-English troubadour has supported Corrine Bailey Rae, had his songs featured on One Tree Hiil, played live on GMTV and been compared, by some, to Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan.Whilst Savoretti's lyrical content is certainly inspired, musically he owes more to the likes of Pete Yorn on the more upbeat numbers, and Dallas Green on mellower tracks. High points of Harder Than Easy, his second album, include the jaunty opener "Map of the World", mournful string-laden "Songs from Different Times" and the harmonica fuelled closing country stomp of "Patriot". With it's delicately finger-picked verse and swelling chorus, "Wonder" also stands out. The only curious element of this otherwise shining LP is quite why somebody of Savoretti's heritage would sing with an American twang, an idiosyncrasy accredited to time spent at The American School In Switzerland, which has left him as a self-professed "transatlantic mutt". Taken at face value, this is a good solid record, but it's when you delve deeper that Savoretti really shines. Here's hoping that the opportunity arrives for people to take the time to do just that.For more information you can visit: http://www.jacksavoretti.com By & © Ivan Lambert, Monday 13th July 2009 07.51pm © 2004-2013 Glasswerk.co.uk Ltd http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/northwest/8275/Jack+Savoretti+
It must be hard being Jack Savoretti. Blessed with good looks, a soulful voice belying his age and a handful of really decent tunes, his 2007 debut Between The Minds floundered at a time when James Blunt and James Morrison were still bothering the top of the charts with much inferior albums. Truth be told, Savoretti’s folk pop style was buried underneath some rather over-zealous production on Between The Minds. When the gorgeous single Without didn’t hit it was a sign that maybe a different tack should be adopted. Two years later, and Savoretti has returned with a new album recorded at Jackson Browne’s LA studio with help from a couple of Counting Crows and members of Tom Waits‘s band. The new setting has resulted in a more organic style that fits Savoretti like a glove, making Harder Than Easy an instantly more likeable and warming album than the debut. The jaunty opening track Map Of The World positively exudes charm with its easy country strum rolling along on a bed of acoustic guitars, banjo and ragtime piano. Hank Williams always kept it simple, and although Savoretti may be wallowing in heartbreak for a lost gal the music keeps him honest. Second track Wonder is even better, moving from an acoustic opening to a swelling chorus driven by a beautiful slide guitar. Savoretti’s voice has never sounded as rich and emotional as it does here, The Nick Drake cover Northern Sky is respectful but lacks the pinpoint beauty of the original, although this is a failing that can be levelled at most artists who attempt to cover the late singer-songwriter’s matchless songs. The fact that the Drake estate requested the cover should also be noted. The album swiftly gets back on track with Lost America. This is the kind of English-born country pop song that the underrated Grand Drive used to specialise in, bustling along on an acoustic shuffle with Savoretti indulging in some of the swooning vocals that characterised his debut. The downbeat mid-section of the album features two gems in Mother and Russian Roulette, which juxtapose acoustic picking, delicate slide work and spare piano to haunting effect. Both tracks also indicate a growing maturity in Savoretti’s lyrics, less in thrall to his influences (Bob Dylan mainly) and willing to experiment. There is still the occasional lyrical misstep, with the anti-war Breaking News trying just a little too hard to get its point across. Simplicity is the key, and the title track is far more effective as a result (give or take the odd Dylan steal). Lucy Styles’ harmony vocal adds the icing to the cake on this charming song. The harmonica-driven bluegrass hoedown of Patriot brings the listener full circle back to the style of Map Of The World. It’s a stirring little song that sets up camp in Neil Young territory, which of course is no bad thing. Is this finally going to be Jack Savoretti’s hour? Paolo Nutini has just topped the charts with a fully-fledged roots album, so don’t bet against Savoretti gaining some mainstream radio play on the back of the current vogue for pop singers going all folk and country. Harder Than Easy is certainly worthy of greater success. by & © Nic Oliver | 6 July 2009 © 1999-2013 OMH. http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/jack-savoretti-harder-than-easy
The British Daily Telegraph newspaper described Jack's music as having a “raw, soulful, yearning edge”, and Burn Magazine said that “Not since Simon & Garfunkel has a gifted songwriter captured the fragility of the human condition so eloquently.” Jack's 2007 debut album ‘Between The Minds’ earned him glowing praise from across the board with comparisons to Nick Drake & Damien Rice (Classic Rock Magazine), Ray LaMontagne (Word Magazine, Independent) and John Martyn and Van Morrison (Rock n Reel) yet Jack’s distinctive storytelling and husky voice ensured that he was able to take his place in his own right alongside these respected artists. His standing was further endorsed when Q awarded the album 4 stars and declared that Jack “stands out from the current glut of soft-lad singer-songwriters” and Mojo placed Jack at number 2 in their playlist saying “folk troubadour Savoretti has a voice to warm romantic hearts but he also has enough edge to maintain interest beyond the norm”.
"Harder Than Easy" was recorded at Jackson Browne’s LA studio and this combined with the unintentional "American twang" of his accent and his association with Natalie Imbruglia’s ex-manager's record label have led some music "critics" to downgrade this album. One music critic said the album was "too mainstream and too mundane to be of genuine interest" and that "This narrowly survives trash can fodder through Jack Savoretti’s attempt to say something beyond ‘moon/june’ love songs but only just!". Jack is most definitely influenced by artists like Nick Drake, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen. What modern day folk rock singer/songwriter isn't? However there is enough original material here to make this a very good album, and it certainly isn't the run of the mill "mainstream" trash that constantly assault our ears. Read the review @ http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/109200-jack-savoretti-harder-easy-album.html and see what you think. This album has more depth than some critics are making out. If this album "narrowly survives trash can fodder....", then it's worth scavenging through a few trash cans! Buy Jack's exceptional "Between The Minds" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File Size = 84.7 Mb]
TRACKS
1. Map Of The World 3:56
2. Wonder 4:23
3. Northern Sky 3:34 *
4. Lost America 3:48
5. Mother 3:21
6. Songs From Different Times 3:23
7. Russian Roulette 4:36
8. Breaking News 4:40
9. Harder Than Easy 3:43
10. Patriot 3:27
* Composed by Nick Drake
Jack Savoretti on acoustic guitar and vocals is backed by James Morrison’s band, The Suppliers, Larry Taylor and Steve Hodges from Tom Waits band, Charlie Gillingham and David Immergluck from Counting Crows, and Lucy Styles sings backing vocals on title track
BIO
Jack Savoretti (born 10 October 1983) is an Italian English solo acoustic singer who began playing guitar at 16. He was brought up in London before moving to Lugano, a Swiss town near the Italian border. Moving around Europe as a child he wound up at The American School In Switzerland where he picked up an accent he describes as "transatlantic mutt". Burn Magazine has compared his songwriting to that of Simon & Garfunkel, London’s Daily Telegraph describes his guitar playing as having a ‘primal magic about it,’ and some music industry insiders are already buzzing around calling him the new Bob Dylan. Early career : As a teenager, the only thing that interested him was poetry."I was writing all the time, it was the thing to do, sit under a tree with a notebook, go somewhere else in your head. I was in the clouds." When his mother gave him a guitar and suggested he try putting some of his words to music he was "surprised how much more people listen to you when you are singing than if you read a poem," he admits. "After that, I couldn’t stop, it was constant writing, every day, it became almost a form of conversation, the way I interact with the world." Savoretti has also done two duets with Shelly Poole called Anyday Now and Hope both of which appear on Poole's album Hard Time for the Dreamer, which was released in September 2005. Between The Minds (2006-2008): Savoretti released his first single on 9 October 2006, called "Without". The video, filmed in Mallorca, Spain, was directed by Oscar-nominated director Bobby Garabedian. The single charted at #90 in the UK Singles Charts and got B-Listed on Radio 2. His second single, "Dreamers", was less successful, reaching #123 in the UK Singles Chart; it was also playlisted on Radio 2. Savoretti was then spotted by Corinne Bailey Rae, who invited Savoretti to perform with her on her European Tour. His album gained support on Radio 2, where it was declared Album of the Week. The album Between the Minds was released in March 2007, and it debuted at number 5 on the UK indie charts. animator and 3D director Saul Freed. and Dr Frankenstein (23 July 2007). On 6 August 2007 he was made his television debut on GMTV, where he performed "Dr Frankenstein". Throughout February and March 2008, Savoretti embarked on a solo Mini-Tour of Caffe Nero bars in the UK. After his Caffe Nero tour he re-released his debut album Between the Minds with a bounus disc with unplugged versions of some of his songs, three new songs, as well as a live cover version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" on 31 March 2008. Four days later, on 4 April 2008, he made another television performance, performing "Gypsy Love" on This Morning. Savoretti recently joined Steve Booker (writer of Duffy’s "Mercy") to write the A-side to his current single, "Gypsy Love", which captures the sincerity of Savoretti’s song writing. Songs such as the AA side of his single "One Man Band" are a testament to how he has spent the beginning of the year, and an expression of the ability showcase his voice impeccably without the support of a full band. Two of his songs, featured in season 5 of the hit TV series One Tree Hill. Between the Minds was featured in the episode "Cryin' Won't Help You Now", and "No One's Aware" was featured in the episode "What Do You Go Home To?" "No One's Aware" was also featured in the film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, which was released in August in the US and was released in the UK in January 2009. His song "Chemical Courage" was featured on the A&E television series The Cleaner. The track "Soldier's Eyes" from Between the Minds played over the closing credits of the second episode of the 5th Season of Sons Of Anarchy. Savoretti toured Europe with Gavin DeGraw after he approached Savoretti asking him to be his support act. To coincide with Savoretti supporting DeGraw, Savoretti's debut album, Between the Minds, was released on all European iTunes Stores. Harder Than Easy (2009-2011): Savoretti's second album, Harder Than Easy, was due for release on 6 July 2009. The album release was postponed and is set to be released in North America on 15 September. On 14 April a new song called "Him & Her" was released through gigwise.com as a free download to launch the new album. Savoretti wrote the track "One Day" specifically for the American film Post Grad, and a version of "One Day" is performed in the film by Zach Gilford's character. A "One Day" music video featuring Post Grad footage was released. The Film was released in the USA on 21 August 2009. On 2 November 2010, Savoretti announced via Facebook that he was in London working on his third album. He has spent most of 2011 touring and working on his third album, debuting many new songs. Before The Storm (2012 – present): On 2 February Savoretti released the song "Hate & Love", featuring Sienna Miller, followed by the first single, "Knock Knock", on the 12th. On 3 May Savoretti released a third single called "Take Me Home" along with a music video. A competition was set for fans to cover this song and submit to the Facebook page in order to win the chance to tour with Savoretti. The third album, Before the Storm, was released on 4 June. With his band, The Dirty Romances, they recorded at Kensaltown Studios and mastered the LP at Abby Road Studios. The new album shows a new side to Savoretti, yet keeps the same poetic charm seen in previous albums. Starting his UK leg of the tour at The Borderline, Savoretti showcased the new material whilst also appearing to have something else up his sleeve with a song called "Crazy Town". In the Autumn of 2012, Jack co-wrote songs with Janet Devlin for her upcoming debut release. © 2013 96.2 The Revolution and G Media http://www.therevolution962.com/music/artist/jack-savoretti/bio/
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