Singles

Jesse Malin - Love Streams

Will Metcalfe 28/11/2007

Rating: 2/5

Jesse Malin looks like a bit of posing type, he sounds like one too-if that's possible. Perhaps it's the nasal American accent in which he sings, perhaps it's the lazy yet pleasant track that accompanies him, it is hard to say.

One thing that isn't so hard to say however, are his influences-without doubt the stars of blue collar rock Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. Whilst this may well not be fist pumping stadium rock by any means the tried and tested ballad approach has certainly been borrowed from a few more renowned acts; 'every moment left unsung still yours/it's all that I've got' I mean, tell me if I'm wrong but he's rinsing these guys for all their best tricks. Standard downward chord changes; check-Jaded lyrics with a sense of dread and despair; checkā€¦he's even wearing a black leather jacket on the sodding sleeve. Crikey.

There is a place for this kind of music though, as people get older they mellow, they realise this and they drift into a beige middle ground musically buying albums by people they saw on GM:TV and This Morning.Jesse Malin, at risk of being harsh is the kind of chap my own mother would (hopefully) find a tad too much, overly sincere perhaps. As with so many other singles of this ilk it is, to some extent a pleasant enough affair-yet I rarely want 'pleasant' music. I want records it to evoke feelings other than 'oh, what else have I got to listen to?' Whilst Jesse Malin may have a very nice jacket and 'cool' hair (I won't comment on the nose) he does nothing for me, one for the top 20 and mid morning television me thinks.