There is a certain freshness about the sound of New York-based singer-songwriter Jake Winstrom’s third album, RAZZMATAZZ!, his follow-up to 2020’s Circles. The former frontman of Tennessee band Tenderhooks has opted for a more spacious sound for this set, with the stripped-back structures allowing ten tightly written songs to shine.
This is nicely illustrated on the fingerstyle guitar fronted ‘This Blue Note’. A relatively new skill for this musician, Jake’s acoustic picking is neatly restrained here, with the notes sparse enough to frame a lovely little rueful number that is further enhanced by subtle keys and a minor-key second guitar part.
‘Don’t Make the Rules’ is more stadium pop, with strummed electric guitar introducing…