Gentlemen Reg – Jet Black

Jet Black is the fourth proper studio album from Gentlemen Reg, the recording moniker of Canadian songwriter Reg Vermue. He seems to be a quiet sort of character, but the kind that keeps good company. He’s performed with Final Fantasy and ‘guested’ with Sufjan Stevens. The Constantines regularly make up his backing band and he’s even managed to fit in the occasional appearance with the indie-rock behemoth Broken Social Scene.For this, his first set of original material for Arts and Crafts, Reg immediately seems to fit in. There are definite strokes of some of his more luminous label mates here; the stylings of artists such as Kevin Drew and Andrew Whiteman immediately spring to mind as this album opens and Reg’s gentle, at times verging on beautifully strained voice starts to pick out little feathery melodies. Jet Black is immediately pleasing, if not ultimately completely satisfying.Reg has admitted himself that his music sometimes requires commitment. It’s true that Jet Black is a grower album and that its charms develop with time and attention. Initially a breezy, pleasant experience for the listener, tracks such as the fresh, bright-eyed 'We’re In A Thunderstorm' and the bittersweet, evolving, slightly off kilter ballad 'When Heroes Change Professions' can easily become addictive. Sadly, however, a pinnacle is never really reached within the forty minutes Jet Black takes to flutter by. Killer moments are grasped at, but never fully mastered. The whole album goes down very smoothly, but fails to make a lasting impression.By no means a classic, Jet Black is still a solid and likeable effort that shows glints of real promise. It’s been a few years since a ‘proper’ new release from Vermue, which perhaps has shown itself to be a shade too long. Between this release and 2004’s Darby and Joan, Reg’s profile has certainly grown. Hopefully with his new home on Arts and Crafts it wont be long before another release, because as far as Gentlemen Reg is concerned, it seems that the best is yet to come. 70%Gentlemen Reg on MySpace