I enjoy music. Specifically, listening to music. I attempt to strangle my guitar now and then. I don’t know how the gods of music from Aiode to Väinämöinen feel about my feeble excuse for playing the guitar. I was blissfully unaware of how many gods are devoted to music. A quick Google found over fifty of them, and there are probably more. With that many gods, I think they would be more proactive in giving me the ability to play the guitar like Jeff Beck without the hassle of practicing.

Stepping away from that random thread of useless information, I like listening to music. I think there is something magical about music, how a bunch of noise gets transformed into an emotional response from the listener. Now and then, something extra special happens and a bit of music will transform into fireworks in my head and a quickening of my soul. I like when that happens.

It takes an extraordinary piece of music to happen; it is the exception, not the norm. Sometimes it is an immediate rush of blood to the brain, and I know I am listening to something special.

That happened to me over the weekend. A neat little bouncing back and forth from the first strains of music led to the lyrics, and I knew this was special, and I wanted to move to Montecito. I was listening to the new album from Rich Jacques; Everything Must Change, and the first track is Montecito. I’ve got a California theme in the music I’m listening to this week; coincidentally, the temperature was a balmy 27c today.

The title track, Everything Must Change, laments that everything changes when we long for the familiar and the necessity for change to keep everything moving forward.

Track three, Can You See It, immediately caught my attention with the first two lines,

“I remember last July

 Lying underneath a starry sky.”

My son and I love driving out into the country and spending hours watching the starry sky. This song moves along with an almost sleepy feel of being somewhere comforting and reassuring.

“Even in the worst of times

We could always Seem to find

Everything we needed.”

These lyrics brought to mind a saying that a coworker of mine used to say, “Every day is a good day, just some are better than others.”

If only we could see it. When the going gets tough, it can be challenging to see past “the voices in our minds, if only we could see it.”

“Can you see it?”

Burn Me Down, track four, has a lovely pan flute sound going on with a synth bass line weaving between the words and lilting strings. And then, a way into the song, there are synthesized clapping hands. I love this song for the music; it is absolute magic to my ears. Just now, I put the song on repeat. I listened to it four times while I wrote this paragraph; good stuff, man, good stuff.

I am glad I didn’t just leave it on repeat for Burn Me Down, or I wouldn’t have heard the next track, New Design. I can’t tell you what is happening in this track. It blows my mind. There is so much happening, and some of it is so discrete that it takes more than one listen to sort it out. Then there are the multi-tracked vocals that are a bit disconnected. It leaves me a bit disconnected, “everything’s fine.

 I just had to invite it in .”

The closing track, The Stars Above, has some commentary on the state of the world. For example, “Any words that we say

 can be twisted in so many ways.” In the age of alternate truth, this rings true. It is not what sets this track aside for me. It is the sentiment that we don’t need what the world offers. 

“someday, we may live like kings.

Be nice to have the finer things,

but right now, I just need your love

the firelight and the stars above.”

I don’t need the things of this world to be happy.

I just need your love

and the worlds made of gold,

but all that shines can’t compare to the hold

that you have on my heart.”

Beautiful words set to compelling and exciting music that demands a second and a third listen to catch all that is going on between the words. I am at a loss for what else I can say. Magic, Everything Must Change is magic. I don’t know how Rich Jacque made the magic happen, and a magician never tells, so sit back with your beverage of choice and take the time to really listen to this music. Pay attention to the lyrics; if needed, read along on Apple music. Put down your phone, turn off the television, and tell your spouse that you don’t want to be disturbed for the next half hour. Let his music wash over you, and the words speak to your spirit. This album is magic.

As of July 8, the ‘Everything Must Change‘ EP was released via Cousteau Records, available digitally across the net, including Apple Music and Spotify.

‘Everything Music Change’ EP order https://apple.co/3ym8Bo8 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/4Nt2W57QHaCKepzcBMAJJy ‘Everything Must Change’ video https://youtu.be/iHSSSKAAcEY ‘New Design’ video https://youtu.be/qFojhzQzD_s

 ‘Can You See It’ video https://youtu.be/vtLPWQpsjW0

 ‘Montecito’ https://youtu.be/9HeUo2a_f3c

 LinkTree https://linktr.ee/richjacques