Jeri Silverman – Leaflike

Few releases in the singer/songwriter genre will capture people’s attention like this EP from South African born Jeri Silverman. Silverman heads a three piece band through these six songs that plays with relaxed, unflappable confidence and a keen eye for making the right decisions at the right moments. Much of the aforementioned quality can be ascribed to Silverman’s songwriting talents. Her skills are on remarkably full display for such an abbreviated release, but the brief running time doesn’t inhibit Silverman in any meaningful respect. She manages to do more with less and pack an impressive amount of imagination into a group of songs that never run longer than four minutes in length. If for no other reasons, this is an incredible initial offering due to the astonishing lyrical sophistication and good taste.

The EP is evenly divided between two distinct types of songs and even seems geared to gradually transform as it nears its end. The opening two songs, “Anywhere But Here” and “G&A”, lean more heavily towards the pop and keyboard-centric side of the spectrum. Melody is abundant, especially vocally, but these early songs play more like soundscapes than traditional compositions. Leaflike never amps up its tempos much, but the slow sway of each track will hypnotize many listeners and has a calming effect despite the darker hue shading her words.

A steady shift begins with the third song “The Fever”. There’s a light bluesy edge on this track that Silverman’s tough minded guitar adds when it dips in and out of the mix. It plays well against the electronica hovering in the background. Silverman’s vocal brings some of the same bluesy ambiance to the song. Two of the EP’s final three songs focus much more on the acoustic guitar. The first, “Rabbit”, is a metaphor driven lyric hanged on shimmering guitar workout and guided by steady drumming. It’s the more guitar centered song by far, but the EP’s title cut makes effective use of the guitar and electronica alike to strengthen another fine Silverman lyric.

The EP’s wild card is a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s stalwart classic “Dreams”. Silverman isn’t foolish enough to attempt outdoing Stevie Nicks and, instead, takes the song in a much different direction than the Mac’s legendary singer. The music has a less traditional air as well – geared more in a modern pop direction and far less reliant on guitar. Silverman never loses the melody, however, and her changes actually seem to focus the listener’s attention more in that direction.

This is as fine as a debut as any artist could hope for. Jeri Silverman’s multi-faceted talents will find an even wider stage on full length releases, but her talents are considerable enough to make for a power-packed EP release. Leaflike is surprising, traditional, revealing, and deeply moving. The center of it all is Silverman’s voice and its various guises will find a wide and eager audience.

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/leaflike-ep/id868537042

Jeri Silverman – Leaflike

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jerisilvermanmusic/

9 out of 10 stars.

Cyrus Rhodes