Jonny Craig

Jonny Craig

A Dream Is A Question You Don’t Know How To Answer

[4/5]


Iconic present-day yelpers like Chiodos’ Craig Owens and Circa Survive’s Anthony Green have helped usher in a new era of the “über frontman.” Transplanted Canadian Jonny Craig, lead vocalist for Lexington, Kentucky, post-hardcore outfit Emarosa, is the obvious choice for this year’s addition to the club, because if there’s one thing you can immediately take away from the singer’s new solo record, A Dream Is A Question You Don’t Know How To Answer, it’s that Craig’s time in the spotlight has come.



Craig’s career has followed an arc that’s uncannily similar to Green’s. Both made a name for themselves fronting up-and-coming bands that they each ended up leaving amid beaucoup drama (Saosin for Green; Dance Gavin Dance for Craig), then both more than recovered after finding new homes (Green with Circa Survive; Craig with Emarosa). As their fame and notoriety have grown, so has the number of offers for high-profile side projects, like Green’s work with experimental collective the Sound Of Animals Fighting, or Craig’s recent pairing with Owens for Isles & Glaciers. Green sealed his bid for household-name status with Avalon, his acoustic-driven 2008 solo outing, so when it comes to Craig’s own solo turn, you have to wonder if Dream can achieve the same. The answer, in more ways than not, is yes.



Upon diving into Dream’s 10 tracks, any comparisons to Green’s Avalon quickly dissipate. It’s immediately made clear that Craig isn’t here to chill with his guitar and strum some wistful tunes, but rather to put on a full-tilt vocal clinic. Whether it’s over brooding acoustic passages like those in the opener, “So Many Of Us Hide Our Black Hearts,” or amid moments of funk-a-delic swagger (“7 AM, 2 Bottles And The Wrong Road”), Craig goes for broke with just about every note he sings. If you’re not a fan going into it, you’ll most likely at least walk away impressed. Craig’s soulful, jagged delivery–which at times (honest to God) makes him sound like a young Michael Jackson–is the last kind of vocal style you’d expect to hear from the frontman of a screamo-circuit outfit like Emarosa, and perhaps that’s partly because Craig’s the only one who can actually pull it off. Either way, it’s unforgettable.



If there’s a downside to Dream, it’s that Craig’s vocals start to blend together about midway through the album. The singer has a distinct vocal range and style of phrasing that get a tad repetitive when served up in large quantities. That’s where the beauty of song selection, especially Dream’s mix of earthy, bold-yet-contemplative acoustic rock (“No Matter How Hard I Dig They Always See Right Through Me”) and jazzy, over-the-top vocal shred fests (“What I Would Give To Be Australian”), keeps things interesting; just when you thought you had the man pegged, Craig changes up his backing music, and you go right back to being wowed. After all, this is supposedly the scene’s next great frontman we’re talking about. Even in the face of such lofty expectations, Dream doesn’t disappoint. (RISE) Brendan Manley



GO DOWNLOAD: “Istillfeelher Part III”

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