Jaymes Reunion crafts sunny, big-scale power pop the likes of which haven't been seen since the early days of
Maroon 5. Lead singer Cameron Jaymes packs the youthful exuberance of
the Rocket Summer's Bryce Avary together with the mature pop sensibilities of
Jon McLaughlin or
Gavin DeGraw. His debut tells of love won, love craved, and of living each day to the fullest. His bright treatment of the world is infectious, and his confidence is evidence of spending time on the road with notable pop and alternative acts like Parachute,
Mute Math,
Safetysuit, and
Relient K. Jaymes goes through great effort to connect with listeners through his melodies. Right out of the gate, "Trouble" abounds with hooks big enough to catch listeners who have lost their faith in pop music. Three tracks in, the piano comes to its rightful place at the forefront on "Let It Shine," and the talented twenty-something never looks back. It takes mere seconds for the groovy beat of "Fine" to stick in your head, and a fit urban groove drives the reticent acknowledgment of "There You Are." The inflection and emotion in Jaymes' crystalline voice was inspired by listening to
Paul McCartney when Jaymes was a teenager, and he seems to share, if only in small measure, the former Beatles' gift of crafting memorable pop gems. ~ Jared Johnson