Angles, by the Douglas Ray Jaffe Project, is a set of four singles culminated into an EP release, with the vocal position going to three female and one male singer to round out the four elegantly written, produced, and arranged tracks. The production side is important to the Angles EP, as Craig Brandwein with Center Sound Productions (Alabama) at the helm it’s always a serious undertaking with an excellent outcome with his projects and the often student personal involved. Each track takes you on a journey through Jaffe’s mind for a snapshot worth hearing on repeat without any hesitating whatsoever.
URL: https://www.douglasrayjaffeproject.com/
These four tracks play like the gems they are, and as the end draws near the vocals change up for the surprise of the release, but not before the first three tracks grace your ears with a delicate balance of beauty and finesse. “Paychecks And Daydreams” featuring Drey Arnold on vocals, with a most angelic singing effort over Jaffe’s lyrics and Brandwein’s precision sound making for a blend of perfection. The whispery voicings of Drey Arnold deliver a remarkable resonance that radiates throughout the opening track, going to show a voice can absolutely make a song at the end of the day.
The songwriting of Douglas Ray Jaffe provides a deep foundation for the songs on the Angles EP, which although can be heard on the first track, it really starts to show on the second track “Brooklyn Eyes” featuring the angelic vocal skills of Mollie Flotemersch. This is a mesmerizing song that could put anyone under the spell of the singer’s voice in just one listen, as she completely commands the melody and wraps it around your ears. The writing of Jaffe must be noted at this point, for giving the singers so much to work with on the Angles EP.
“To Pass” is the middle track, and these features another sweet vocalist in Natalie Kasper, known for her country music, which the song does ring a little of, but it’s generally a ballad with a story about taking the next train to somewhere besides the present where all things pass. This is where Jaffe’s words make perfect sense to music with harmony in a narrative storytelling fashion, and Kasper takes it from acoustically quiet to a wonderfully bursting chorus. The Angles EP just gets better as it goes, with Craig Brandwein ultimately to credit for the ultrasonic sound.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/jo/album/angles-the-douglas-ray-jaffe-project-ep/1826144343
The sense of humor and whit of Douglas Ray Jaffe starts to shine through some on the final track “Today’s Forecast… Anything Goes” with Bob Schnider taking the vocals down another road altogether, which is mostly lighthearted but pulsating as the lyrics play out about no surprises in anything from the whether to anything at all. The final song from the Angles EP tops off a solid collection of four modern pop leanings with country and folk styling, cleverly arranged and mixed with world class songwriting with great hand-picked musicians and singers. Angles by the Douglas Jaffe Project comes recommended for all these points and more.
Gwen Waggoner