A Beautiful And Gentle Debut EP
I first encountered J. Aubertin when he opened for Willie Tea Taylor at Buffalo Records in Kearney, Nebraska. I described him then as “perched on his chair looking for all the world like a young French Townes Van Zandt”. Listening to his debut EP I think the analogy also holds true for his music. Most of the album is just J., who hails from Clermont-Ferrand, France, showing off his accoustic guitar and his voice creating an atmosphere of both beauty and melancholy.
There are six songs on this folk album (with a bonus track on Bandcamp). Standouts include the title song “Bringers Of The Light,” a slow melodic tune called “Your Silence,” and my favorite “No Fear At All” which features Inaiah Lujan on electric guitar.
The album was recorded in Pueblo, Colorado while J. was on tour with Willie. It is sung all in English and my only suggestion to J. would be that he not shun doing a chorus or even a whole song in his native language which is a beautiful one. I’ve always enjoyed it when a singer like Bruce Cockburn sings in French even though I don’t speak the language.
In short, don’t miss this debut which is available on Bandcamp. It is a standout and I look forward to hearing a full album in the future.