“Angles” EP by the Douglas Ray Jaffe Project

Getting right to the songs on the Angles EP by the Douglas Ray Jaffe Project isn’t cut and dried before the music even gets heard, as the artist himself writes stories for musicians to tell, so what it has to do with Jaffe should be known before the listener knows what they’re getting themself into, barring the music before it unless no care is taken concerning who this music is by in the first place. Essentially, Jaffe is a poet with knack for words presented to others who makes great songs out of his stories, and this consists of four tracks, each with a different theme and vocalist.

URL: https://www.douglasrayjaffeproject.com/

The voice of Drey Arnold steps up at the outset, which is a great choice to start with, even though the EP plays like it has no beginning of end. I was able to listen to each song on repeat for what turned out to be way longer than a full-length album takes to listen to. “Paychecks And Dreams” fantasizes about living a better life in a world gone mad with hopes and dreams being bought and sold, and a few clever words to try and dispel reality for all it’s worth.

The beautiful sound of these voices continues as “Brooklyn Eyes” takes its place in the collection with a super tasty little ballad with everything going for it, including the subtle syncopation bubbling away in the background before you fall in love with the voice of Mollie Flotemersch. This is an undeniably awesome song and singer Jaffe made the perfect choice to sing, whether it was by way of auditioning for these parts or not, but it’s either one way or the other being more of a case of writing with them in mind. A mystery worth keeping as much as it isn’t.

Natalie Kasper puts her stamp all over “To Pass” with a pop laden tune, but you can’t take the country out of this singer’s voice, but you can always try. This is another good song but likely the least impacting song on the Angles EP but still belong as much as the other three tracks. The production work of Craig Brandwein saves it for what can still at least be debated where the release takes a dip if anywhere. This could also be just a less impacting musical arrangement because the voice of Kasper stands up.

APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/angles-ep/1825217205

Everything comes to a head on the Angles EP, with the closing words of Jaffe narrated by male singer Bob Schnider who throws you for a loop with his adaptation of Jaffe’s lyrics not being expected at all after hearing and following the first three songs, but it tends to work very well in closing out the EP on a serious but playful note. Let your ears find it for you, as words about words just don’t always do justice where music is concerned, but it gives you an idea what’s behind the album cover, so don’t miss Schnider’s take on Jaffe’s words play out in the closing minutes.

Michael Rand