Surviving The Dream - Coming October 1
With “Surviving the Dream,” Jacob Johnson founds his vibe — perhaps even creates a new one: Whimsy Folk. Only a sure-footed artist would begin a three-minute song with an accordion and then seamlessly move into multi-genre instrumentation that feels like a mashup of Shel Silverstein (as in a pop-ified Yellow-Haired Woman) or Bravo Combo (People Are Strange, but without the mania). Jacob’s single also reflects a pivot from his previous acoustic fingerstyle work. “Surviving the Dream” shows a supple songwriter and playful musician with a keen sense of well-balanced production —even adding some background vocals with a sweet, singalong hint. Totally fun … and nowhere near superficial. And so he deftly threads a tricky artistic needle: authentically saying and playing what he feels and means without being too-clever-by half, flat-out derivative or redundant. (Whatever happened to your career, Hobo—no relation—Johnson?) Just look at this bit of verse: “I’ll miss what I lose and I’ll risk what I win / To keep on surviving the dream.” Yes, in this song, Jacob steps up as a fun-loving songwriter with the chops to create whimsical entertainment for
songwriter-hungry fans. - John Jeeter
Press photos
Lyric Poster
