Mason Jennings

In The Ever

Brushfire Records

This is an artist where there are no fence-sitters. You either sign up for the whole show or you keep moving on. Maybe it's because Mason Jennings is less concerned with effect and concentrates instead on how he can refine his music, whittling it down to only the absolute necessities, much like a gifted painter. He skates right up to the savant side door, but doesn't go all the way in like, say, Jonathan Richman. With Jennings, it's all about expressing feelings as directly as possible, which is probably why his sixth album is on Jack Johnson's label. Recorded with minimal microphones and nearly no studio hijinks, In The Ever has a sublime sweetness, offering a purity that never wavers. "I Love You and Buddha Too" pretty much says it all, and what it doesn't, "Your New Man" does. The real value of someone like Mason Jennings is the large collection of true fans that totally believe in the man. And how can you not? He named his song publishing company Mystical Pony of the Stars, pointing out the direction of a singer-songwriter who doesn't need a destination, and never did. It's the journey that counts.