Jon McAuliffe has been at the songwriting thing for a long time now. A gentleman who immerses himself in not only the writing art, but also the history of songwriting and those that have honed the craft before us. He is a person who understands the songwriting industry as well as the artform behind writing a great, catchy tune.

I have been listening to McAuliffe’s record “In This Present Form” for quite some time now. It’s a very polished work that you can tell a lot of thought went into the arrangements and writing. He writes for the catchiness of the tune and attracting listeners to well written, memorable hooks. You will surely be singing along halfway through the first listen.

“Gotta Get Back to Memphis” really stands out to me a fun jam. With some huge harmonies on the annunciation of the title and piano and guitar driving the rhythm of the song, it works well to hook an audience and reel them in. There is a lot of imagery utilized in the song, focused on the city and getting back to it. It’s a mix of big band and folk that works very well. 

Another track that I am drawn to is “When the Lights Go Out”. It has a bit of a contemporary blues and country feel to it. Arrangements that have been utilized before, but are effective and familiar in a good way.

 

Very great acoustic guitar sounds, Jon’s pleasant and solid vocals float on top of the solid studio band behind him…again, it’s very polished and I am sure a lot of work went into it to make it that way. While the record doesn’t exactly break new ground or exceedingly excite me about the music, it is a solid folk rock composition that I feel bodes well for the artist and his next project.  A good listen for a long car ride or just hanging out around the house all the way through, with enough diversity and range in its sonic qualities to keep listeners entertained over and over again. 

Check out Jon’s website online at: http://www.jonmcauliffe.com/