Douglas Ray Jaffe’s debut Douglas Ray Jaffe Project, produced by Center Sound Production’s Grammy-nominated wizard Craig Brandwein, is a three song effort marking the writer and modern philosopher’s first foray into songwriting. Jaffe employs three different singers over the course of the recording, but there are unifying qualities binding these songs together. Jaffe’s sensibility and skill with the language are apparent despite his use of three distinct voices. Anyone interested in the intricacies of songwriting will find the tracks on this debut EP well worth their study. It is a masterclass in affecting and well-constructed classic songwriting.
It is likewise a far from dry or cliched affair. Jaffe adopts a varied stylistic approach. He opens the EP with the first person address of “For Rachel”, a suggestively autobiographical piece, but broader strengths are evident. The lyrics keep an even keel between the personal and universal. Relating to material such as this isn’t difficult. The excellent musicianship powering this performance and the accompanying vocal will impress even the most cynical listener with its unquestionable sincerity.
Douglas Ray Jaffe Project never wavers from that high standard. “Gullibility” boasts arguably the EP’s fullest arrangement. Jaffe and Brandwein achieve a near cinematic quality with the construction and sound of “Gullibility” and it deals with its subject matter in an unique and idiosyncratic fashion. Switching up the presentation with a female vocalist as opposed to the male singing fueling the opener doesn’t represent any major transformation. The overall tenor of the work stays the same.
Jaffe’s dazzling songwriting consistency continues with “One More Time” branches off into new territory with its reliance on an appealing bass hook and a well orchestrated panoply of voices. It unfolds incrementally, but the pacing is immaculate and Brandwein’s production supplies Jaffe’s songwriting with the best possible setting.
Douglas Ray Jaffe Project sets down an early template for the author’s musical endeavors. It makes it abundantly clear that the writer and philosopher isn’t content with resting on a single genre. Instead, he invests his songwriting with a broad-based point of view. There doesn’t seem to be any place where Douglas Ray Jaffe is afraid to take his musical ambitions. His aspirations are high, but they are Jaffe tethers them to a recognizable world.
Jaffe embodies a wide variety of human experiences in these songs. It’s one piece of the piece revealing Jaffe to be in possession of transformative artistic powers. He’s adopted his literary talents to the musical realm without sacrificing anything that built his initial following. New work such as this poises him to expand his audience exponentially.
Let’s hope this trio of songs are the precursor to a much longer work. He has a songwriting vision capable of sustaining an entire release, and these three songs provides a tantalizing glimpse of future pinnacles to come. As great as this is, we can be certain that we haven’t yet heard his best. I want to hear that peak when it comes, but Douglas Ray Jaffe Project is enough to tide me over. For now.
Mindy McCall
