Jason Lancaster - As You Are (Album Review)

Jason Lancaster hasn't done much I haven't liked. I enjoyed his work with Mayday Parade and enjoyed the Go Radio albums a lot as well. For some reason Go Radio just seemed to have trouble breaking Lancaster out to a bigger audience and when the group broke up Lancaster announced he would be going the solo route. When I received As You Are for review I was more than eager to see what Lancaster would present as a solo artist.

As You Are is as strong as any set of songs you've heard on any Lancaster related release. The songwriting is good and his trademark vocals are everything you've come to expect and want from him. This doesn't stray too far from the formula. It has the pop/rock vibe, heavy electric guitars at times, and a lot of nicely done piano work. You could hear a lot of the songs being continuations of the sound found on some of his previous projects, but there is a nice refinement to it as well. Lancaster sounds relaxed and the process of going solo must agree with him because this is some of his best songwriting I've heard in a while. I still think the nostalgic value of some of his classic material with Mayday or even some of the earlier Go Radio material will still have fans holding it a little higher than this material, but it is just as strong and over time should hold up really well. "Do I" may be one of my favorite Lancaster songs I've heard in a long while.

There are some hints at progression, but it still has the sound I‘ve come to enjoy from Lancaster. "You N' Me" definitely has more of an alternative/radio vibe than some of Lancaster's work I've heard before. For the most part though this sounds like what you would think a Jason Lancaster album should sound like. If you've been a fan of any of his previous projects you should easily be able to enjoy this. I, for one, was hoping it wouldn't stray too far from what I've come to enjoy. In that respect it definitely lives up to my expectations. The songwriting is what I wanted to hear from the album.

The production and mixing sound really good. It's spot on for this type of album and fits the mood and vibe really well. It sounds clean and allows Lancaster's stellar vocal work to stick out most of the time. I really enjoy how the piano was mixed and the overall sound it has on the album. It adds so much to this release.

Overall Jason Lancaster's debut solo album is a big win for him as an artist. He's stepped out of the confines of having to attach a band name to his work and easily shows he's more than talented enough to create a super strong set of songs without any help from band mates. If you're a fan of anything he's done you're in for a treat because this is a really well done album. If you've never heard anything he's done, but enjoy well done alternative pop/rock you should definitely check this album out. It's a great listen.