Review: Jason Blaine, Go With Me

Despite its autumn release, there is something decidedly summery about the blazingly cheerful new six-song EP from singer/songwriter Jason Blaine and not just because the centrepiece song is the breezy, feel-good “Home for the Summer.” To use a clunky metaphor, there is a lot of glinting going on here, with Blaine’s fearlessly optimistic take on life yanking these tunes up by the bootstraps. 

Even two ballads — the title track, presumably a tender salute to wife Amy, and “Helluva Band In Heaven” which visualizes Blaine’s bygone musical heroes jamming in the afterlife — perch on palpable positivity.

Swinging album opener “Drink Too Much” is hands-down the set’s best song, combining a super-hooky chorus with a loping melody and a pretty nifty sentiment: essentially, screw being so button-downed, let’s get wasted! If that ain’t an August-worthy anthem, I don’t know what is.

Go With Me was released October 23, 2020 on eOne Canada.
Listen to it here.