"Jon McLaughlin - Indiana" Music Review

While in San Diego, I went to the famous Lou's Records in Encinitas with my friend Danny. We perused the 99 cents section, hoping to find a gem. Amongst the thousands of cd's in that section alone, I recognized only a handful of artists and bought one: Jon McLaughlin.

Previously, I had heard his name bounced around in the usual singer/songwriter circles that I frequent, but had never actually stopped to listen to his music. In a world filled with copious amounts of amazing music, I tend to be a music snob. I only buy it if it is really good, and rarely buy without listening. That being said... it was 99 cents. Why not!

From the classical piano intro of the first track to the jazzy vocal outro of the last, this is a solid addition to my collection. His voice is somewhere between Dave Barnes and Coldplay's Chris Martin. It's got some soul, a little funk and a healthy dose of feeling.

My favorite track is "Beautiful Disaster". It's in the same vein as Switchfoot's "24" or "Amy's Song". I'm a sucker for a heartfelt ballad with strong lyrics. This song is about a young lady looking for her identity in a world that tells her to just paint over who she really is, cause appearance is all that matters. The chorus goes like this "She would change everything, everything / just ask her / Caught in the inbetween / a beautiful disaster / she just needs someone to take her home." I love it. We're all looking for someone to love us unconditionally and "take us home".

Anyway, I highly recommend this. Give it a try.