Jesse Torres is a cool dude. I saw him most recently when I visited Long Island in August. At a POSP open mic at The Hideout he sang some original and unforgettable acoustic guitar tunes with neat harmonies and natural artistry. Today he drops his new EP "Three Songs (Sad)" mixed and mastered by Philip Jimenez at Milk House Studios in Huntington, NY. I hear a different shade of Jesse Torres. Why is Jesse Torres blue?
Jesse takes a minimalist approach with only acoustic guitar and vocals as the language of the EP. "Skyline" is a meditative start to draw your attention into the introspective lyrics about heartbreak and the guitar solo is really tasteful. Torres' lyrical choices are simple, direct and effective. We pick up the energy a little bit with "White Smoke & Black Coffee". The bridge swells to a crescendo as the narrator confronts some personal demons. It's a great contrast between the softer opening and closing sections of the song. Switching up the feel, we come to "Who I Am" with a lilting 6/8 and modal quality. The juicy borrowed chords in the chorus add even more punch to the powerful vocal delivery. The song is about a balance between self acceptance and self confrontation. The fourth and final track "My Fatal Valentine" is a very cool, very neat re-harm of the popular jazz tune with some serious "Stairway to Heaven" vibes. The new harmonies lead the ear to softly unexpected timbres and features some of Torres' best singing on the EP!
Jesse has a LOT more music on the back-burner so keep an eye out for his follow up EP in the near future! Find all the links you need at linktr.ee/JesseTorresMusic . Go listen!