Jaron Lowenstein (Alias: Jaron and the Long Road to Love) used to be a pop singer—as one half of the twin brother duo Evan and Jaron, he scored a major mainstream hit in 2000 with “Crazy For This Girl.” And if there’s one thing his new single “That’s Beautiful To Me” proves, it’s that despite his commercial reinvention as a country artist, he’s still a pop singer—if not because of marketing then because of musical soul.
Self-written and self-produced, Jaron’s follow-up to the Top 20 hit “Pray For You” is a smooth, piano-driven slice of acoustic pop that’s more Dawson’s Creek than Dukes of Hazard. Of course, that’s true of much of today’s country format, and in a way it’s refreshing that Lowenstein pays so little attention to window dressing his product—he presents this song exactly as it is, without so much as a hint of format-pandering fiddle, banjo or steel.
The result is a pleasant little song that’s sweet to the ears, relatively organic and devoid of the kind of obtuse “I’m country!” instrumentation that typically underscores crossover efforts. Lowenstein has a soothing voice that glides along as he gives listeners insight into the reasons why his lover is beautiful.
Those reasons are expectedly complimentary, but in much the same way as “Pray For You” was unfailingly vengeful, “That’s Beautiful To Me” is almost awkwardly flattering. Language like “Your kindness and your sweetened soul lingers like perfume” is poetically heavy-handed and almost sickeningly sweet.
Saccharine sentiments aside, “That’s Beautiful To Me” is too cluttered to be especially charming. Lowenstein cites a wide list of unrelated examples of beauty, and then builds no segues or transitions between them.
It sounds pretty, but without narrative glue to hold the lyrical pieces in place “That’s Beautiful To Me” crumbles under the weight of too much information.
This dude looks like a serial killer. Maybe he should try getting some tunes on the Dexter soundtrack.
Well, The Boot just named him country’s second hottest bachelor…
Dear lord, really? Who was the first – John Rich?
Brace yourself–Chuck Wicks.
So a gay man and a serial killer are country music’s most eligible bachelors. Good grief.
Hey some women are into that. The serial killer is mysterious, and the gay guy relates to us so well. Also, I’m sort of embarrassed to say I really like this song.
Nikki,
What’s to be embarrassed about? To be swayed by someone else’s opinion if it isn’t yours. The song might seem too cluttered as Jim writes at first listen, but after listening to it 3 times now, I know all of the images and the song is first rate. I like the non-sequitors. It leaves a little room for me to fill in my own ideas. The song is really great. And frankly, while he’s good looking, his music is what interests me.
Wow! This song is really sweet. So not cliche. Thanks for sharing it. I’m going to buy it right now.
My main problem with this song is that it seems so similar to past hits like Sammy Kershaw’s classic “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful.” Joe Nichols has tread this ground more than once with songs like “Another Side of You” and “Gimmie That Girl.” While it is very pretty to listen to, it fails to interest me for the fact that it sounds like too many songs that I’ve heard before, most of which are superior.
I also have a hard time taking Jaron seriously as a country artist. I can’t help suspecting that his move to country music was mainly for the simple purpose of staying famous after the end of his short-lived pop career. It doesn’t really seem sincere to me. But that’s just my personal ill-informed opinion.
He has a gorgeous voice and writes beautiful melodies. I personally like the narratives about love, lost, found and unrequited…. As for looking like a ‘serial killer’ I really don’t think so….as if… He is a genuinely nice guy, he answers all on his FB page and has a huge following. Good on him for holding onto fame for as long as he can, at least he is earning his living and not leeching off others. Thanks for the great music, Jaron.