Review of Jonathan Cavier debut album ‘Premier’

Jonathan Cavier released Premier on June 17^th. A highly referential album, Cavier seems to be experiencing growing pains with his new persona.

Jonathan Cavier is a singer/songwriter based in Phoenix. The artist formerly performed as Alan Clark, with the band EyeTalk. After a decade fronting the pop duo, Clark reinvented himself as Cavier. The result is Premier, his debut album with a new persona. The very ‘80s sounding record is highly referential – It seems Cavier is struggling with growing pains as he develops a new voice.

“January” is the first track on Premier. Containing lovely string work in the background, this track has nice ambience. Additionally, a relatively catchy rhythm lays the groundwork on “January.” However, the vocals feel forced with unremarkable lyrics. This opening song struggles to maintain listener attention, quickly fading to background music.

In a dramatic flashback to the ‘80s, “Hope” is next on Premier. Here, electric guitars give way to talking-on-pitch lyrics. Though the construct is not faulty, it feels as though Cavier is working too hard to emulate a sound rather than creating from a naturally inspired place. Tracks such as “Time Will Tell,” “Found You” and “Promise” perpetuate this sense.

Finding his stride

Centrally located on Premier are “Comes A Moment” and “Burning Away.” Both songs feel closer to a comfortable range for Jonathan Cavier. A new take on an old idea rather than regurgitation, the performance in these tracks seems natural. Both contain the string and key-heavy musicality found previously on Premier, while exploring an unforced depth.

Next, “Are You In Love” has an almost The Cure-style opening, before taking a turn toward Rick Astley. This feels like a step back into emulation. Later on, “Pearl” appears as the strongest upbeat track on the record. Therein, it is nice to hear Cavier sounding at ease in a happier song.

Premier closes out with “Jupiter,” which builds into an interesting ambient piece. A highlight on this album: it would have been interesting to see more of the sensibilities marking this track earlier in the record.

Though not altogether without merit, Jonathan Cavier’s Premier struggles to divorce itself from emulation. The frequent result is a forced feeling in vocal performance. With the bits and pieces that rang of inspiration, skill in arrangement and comfort in presentation, Cavier has some building blocks with which to form a stronger record. It will be interesting to hear what a follow-up album contains.