Currently [EP] - Keaton Simons

While awaiting the release of Keaton Simons' formal debut disc, Exes & Whys, Maverick Records decided to whet the market's appetite and generate some buzz by releasing the EP Currently. Featuring five originals by Simons, Currently is like the down-home cousin to John Mayer's Room for Squares, as both musicians are skilled guitarists who juice up their singer/songwriter personas with hints of other genres -- Mayer's pop is infused with jazz while Simons leans toward the blues. Although it is not a direct comparison, there is something inherently similar about their sounds and the way both artists have been groomed for success by their record labels. Even the playful soul of Currently's title track could easily follow Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland" as a quirky radio hit. However, Simons' organic sound is more intimate than Mayer's slick productions, and that helps to draw listeners closer to Simons' dark lyrics. With a voice that sounds like a less gravelly John Hiatt, Simons shows off his chops in bluesy numbers like "Lift Me Up," but there is a sense that he is holding back. Like some performers, Simons may be more subdued in the confines of a studio, but really lets loose in front of an audience. Even with this slight vocal tameness, his songs are impeccably performed and varied in their tones and styles. The appealing folk of "Lightning" plays like a lost track from Jules Shear's brilliant Between Us, while "To Me" echoes the acoustic works of Duncan Sheik from his Phantom Moon phase. Despite these comparisons, Simons' music and sound is engaging and all his own, but with the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair) producing several tracks for Exes & Whys, the question became whether Simons could retain his music's soulful personality or allow it to succumb to the machinations of pop music producing. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), Exes & Whys ended up shelved when Warner Bros. took control of Maverick in 2004, so it will never be known what Simons' sound and direction might have been had the album been released. Regardless, Currently remains a fine introduction to an artist who has had to roll with the industry punches. ~ Aaron Latham, All Music Guide