Jasper Gate is a duo that will struggle to find a niche. They cannot be described as mainstream CCM, alternative rock, or strictly as adult contemporary. Sunny Days & Fear manages to cross all of these boundaries without settling comfortably into any one genre. At times I would liken them to a less effective version of Out of the Grey, while at others I hear Sarah McLachlan or Over the Rhine.
"Higher" is a standout, combining the harmonies of husband and wife team Patrick and Dawn Davis. Dawn sings lead on all but two tunes. One is the instrumental track "Love for Sale," which features Patrick on acoustic guitar doing his best Eric Clapton imitation. The other is "Head First" where Patrick takes the front in a style that reminds me of a more tuneful Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits). If this song is any indication perhaps Mr. Davis should take the lead more often.
"Even You Sometimes" opens with an R.E.M. riff and features Dawn's vocals leaning toward Sixpence None the Richer. The harmonies work very well here as well.
Sunny Days & Fear is difficult for me in that it never seems to develop a flow from one song to the next. The abrupt changes in style from one song to the next do force you to pay attention, but it detracts from the overall result. Still, not a bad debut for the Davises -- the seeds are definitely there if more polish is given to the next project.
3 tocks
