Stream: Jake McMullen, ‘Four Letter Word’

Kevin Bronson on July 31st, 2013

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Orange County’s Jake McMullen released a solo EP while he was still in his teens, and last year had a run fronting the band York, whose EP “I Might” displayed the young songwriter’s continuing explorations in roots music. With York having gone by the wayside, he’s back to making music under his own name, collaborating with Ellex Bree on the new EP “Ellex Bree & Jake.” It’s six songs (three from each artist) of varying-degrees-of-stripped-down folk music, recorded in Nashville, and at its most powerful on “Four Letter Word.” Here, the 20-year-old’s songcraft conspires with his older-than-his-years voice to conjure up some of the great folk troubadours – spacious, evocative and natural. McMullen may be on the back porch somewhere, still sipping lemonade, but we’ll have something a bit stronger, thank you.

||| Stream: “Four Letter Word” and “Illinois”