If you’re up on your country music stars or spend time in front of the tube, you’re probably already familiar with Jace Everett’s work. In 2005, he saw success with the first single “That’s The Kind Of Love I’m In” off his Epic Records debut. Though most of his commercial success after that initial single was over in Europe, he did co-write the 2006 #1 “Your Man” for Josh Turner. More recently, Everett has found many new fans due to his music being the theme song for the wildly embraced HBO show True Blood.
Everett’s fifth album, Terra Rosa, is not only his most eclectic offering to date, but lyrically his most adventurous as he interprets themes from the Old and New Testaments into his own soulful and poetic vision. However, if your interest in Biblical references is non-existent, the music here is multi-dimensional enough to provide everyone with something to enjoy. From the tense, gospel opener “The Garden” to the mandolins and country sounds of Pennsylvania to the quiet R&B of “Love Cut Me Down,” Everett adapts his vocals to each genre he takes on quite well. In fact, Everett is such a jack of all trades here, he goes from loud guitar driven rock on “The Great Fish (Wave After Wave)” to the quirky, organ led “Lloyd’s Summer Vacation,” which might be the closest thing to a rap song Everett will ever get to.
Though it’s based on religious stories, even for the non-religious it’s a wonderful listen and doesn’t ever come from a holier-than-thou angle or spend time pointing fingers. Of course if you’re someone who gets agitated at the mere mention of anything from The Bible, you won’t be able to give this an unbiased listen, but if you want to hear something different coming from Nashville – Everett’s new home – Terra Rosa is worth a spin.
