Nick Jaina preview

Nick Jaina
Subterranean, Chicago
Sunday, March 16, 2008

Oregonian Nick Jaina obviously cherishes Tom Waits’ pre-Island Records catalog, though is careful not to reverently trace the steps of Closing Time or Nighthawks At The Diner.

Wool (Hush Records) also differs from those albums in that Jaina just can’t sing. You could argue that for Waits, too, but his raspy howl was at least in tune and when he turned cartoonish you at least knew he was in character. Jaina either isn’t experienced enough or needs to hire a pro. The minuet-like “Casamiro” teeters on a violin’s wail and tiptoes on the ivories; hell, Jaina’s lyrics practically read like early Edgar Allan Poe. But the tune’s delicate parameters are tested by vocal sour notes it becomes embittering. Never are his offenses more egregious than the opener, “Maryanne,” where his shifts from upper to lower register are so uneven you almost think the album was mixed with the wrong takes. Jaina clearly can write and arrange — “Power” and “Hymn” could be the envy of Waits himself — but he’s also evidence it can be the singer, not the song.

Mira Mira headline; IJ Quinn opens. Jaina also appears March 27th at Schubas.

— Steve Forstneger

Click here to download “Power.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly