Mason Jennings

I don't spend a lot of time preaching the virtues of listening to certain artists.

Unlike books/movies/theatre, I never can trust that what I like will be what someone else likes.

Music's more ephemeral, tied to a subconscious accumulation of life experiences.

Trying to describe why you like music is so much different than describing why you like a movie. There's something more tangible about words and visual stimulation. The script and the actors. It's the soundtrack, though, that can almost imperceptibly tie it all altogether.

That said ...

Listen to Mason Jennings.

Why, you ask?

Just because.

You should also listen to the first four Black Sabbath albums.

If you want to. If that's your kind of thing.

I can unearth my internal dialogue to describe why I like the first four Black Sabbath albums, but it always just sounds so uselessly pretentious. Instead, I end up saying something like, "Man, Black Sabbath is the TRUTH!"

Or I just wear a Black Sabbath T-shirt.

I also wear a Mason Jennings T-shirt. The only problem is, nobody knows who he is.

(And I don't mean that in a ... "Oh, What do I like? Shit, man. Mason Jennings. You don't know who he is? I guess you shouldn't be expected to. You have to be ultra-cool to know about somebody who nobody knows about).

I saw him at the Georgia Theatre in Athens this week. There weren't a lot of people (taking the stage a little before midnight on a Tuesday might have played a part). But let me tell you, there was this vibe -- like a thing with the crowd where everyone was feeling Mason's energy and became one and ...

Hold on. Let me puke.

OK.

Now, let me do my best to tell you basically what kind of music he does and why I think it's so special.

Hold on. Let me puke again.

OK. I'm set.

Mason Jennings is a guy from Minnesota with a guitar and a small supporting band and a distinct, fluid voice inflection.

I refuse to use the term "earthy." Shit. This is hard.

OK ... his lyrics are the kind of concise poetry that makes you enjoy hearing how someone can say something in a way that you've never heard it said before -- and somehow end up feeling that there's no other way it could have been said.

He tackles relationships, faith, world events. You know, the whole singer/songwriter deal.

He's kind of a branch of the Jack Johnson/Ben Harper family tree. He's never recorded or toured with them, but he did provide a song for the "Shelter" surf video that Jack Johnson filmed. That got Mason some recognition among the crowd who likes Jack Johnson and Ben Harper (but at the same time isn't sure they should anymore, because everybody seems to know who they are now).

Look, that's the best I can do. Listen to it if you like that kind of music. You have to start with his 1998 self-titled debut, then go to the 2004 "Use Your Voice" CD before listening to the rest of his work. Otherwise, it might not work for you.

If I have to, I'll mail you a burned disc.

Check him out. You know you want to, because you've never heard of him.

And if you don't like it, well, I told you I sucked at this.