An a cappella start to the gospel tinged “The Blues Remain” is a fine opening to a bluesy and soulful disk. Enough to make this Bunny prick up his ears anyway.
The song writing, while playing it safe, is well crafted. On the downside, I always had a slight feeling of deja vu when listening to the CD, even for the first time, as Juan wears his influences on his sleeve. The worst offender for being overly 'influenced' is “Open Up My Eyes”. If it weren’t for a minor chord during the chorus, the structure and tone would be “I Try” by Macy Gray. Elsewhere, Juan seems to have used the same brand of sandpaper as Paolo Nutini, as “Baby Be Mine” has the same slightly rasping vocal associated with Paisley’s favourite son. These reservations aside, Juan’s abilities shine out.
The production is slick and polished with strong horns, Hammond Organ and warm toned guitar forming the basis of the band, but the arrangements are varied to suit the songs and, along with the quality of writing, thus avoids the trap of the individual tracks being indistinguishable from each other. There is enough light and shade on the disk, from soulful and introspective to upbeat, bluesy to exuberant, to show that Juan and his band are talented and versatile.
While not adding much which is original, or world changing, Juan Zelada's CD is worth checking out.