Old Man Jim - Stone By Stone

Old Man Jim 

​Stone By Stone
self-released; 21016

​3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

What I Immediately was attracted to from the four-song EP Stone by Stone from Old Man Jim aka Jamie Brice is that he has a unique style. He doesn’t exactly have the most standard vocal qualities one would associate with a good singer. The subtle tonal attributes make him feel distinct. That’s a good thing.

His songs also feel out of time and off-kilter, Somewhere between rock ballad and pop the songs feel nostalgic, heartfelt and genuine. He starts things off with “The Yearning” which is based on the desire for the seemingly unobtainable. Perhaps he is talking about a woman or a feeling - who knows but the song feels mystical between the airy synths and guitar parts. I enjoyed the mix of disparate sounds. I think that's a banjo I heard towards the end of the song.

Next up is “Polly 2” which is basically a straight-up ballad. There is a tinge of ’80s arena rock on this song. That being said it's also a very atmospheric song that and has a huge stereo width. Part of this was due to him leaving the guitars clean and letting the song breathe.

“Start Up” is less grand than “Polly 2.” It’s actually a pretty straightforward pop song, not to far off, sounding like music you might hear from The Smiths minus the synths. It’s a catchy tune and definitely one you don't need to listen to very much to get caught in your head.

He closes with “"Don't Ever Go Away” which is about a man torn between his own rage and the love from a woman who wants to heal him. It’s a pop/rock song that doesn't contain many surprises but is pretty catchy. Stone by Stone is a solid EP with four pretty distinct songs. Brice has an unique sense of taste and I was digging his style.

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