A slice of authentic Country flair, ‘Little Bitty Town’ is the sort of EP that closely follows tradition, taking the listeners back in time through engaging, honest storytelling and a primal, organic production free from any modern artifice. Evoking the ‘Bakersfield sound’ – a rawer, fuzzier current of Country music prominent in California between the 50s and 60s – the record functions as Jake Neuman’s manifest of intent, a clear display of his nuanced musicianship.
While his home base of Nashville might sound ironic to some (the Bakersfield era was a reaction to the city’s over-polished recording output), Neuman is a perfect interpreter of the Americana spirit: making heavy use of light rock’n’roll, steel guitars and rolling, feathered drum grooves, the talented troubadour invited the listeners to his own nostalgic, yet still relevant artistic universe.
Paired with his own band The Jaybirds, Jake particularly excels with his vocal performance, packed with poignancy and a tone full of nuances and elegance. Speaking about the EP’s title track, Neuman explains: “This song is really about the feeling of being trapped by your hometown, which for me was Bakersfield. Despite it not being a small town, it has that tight-knit community feel that both supports and confines. It’s about the complex ties that bind us to our roots.”
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