Jordan Sommerlad
“Don’t Love Me Where it Hurts”
Well, that’s a great title, isn’t it?
Jordan Sommerlad is an NYC based artist who’s been releasing music since 2018, in several different genres. A true independent, the style and feel of his music might change from song to song, but he’s got several common (and really good) threads to bank on, 1) the quality of his voice, 2) the quality of the lyrics, and 3) the quality of his audio production. He’s also a gifted video guy (more on that at the bottom). He’s just released a full length album called “Polly’s House,” here’s our review of “Don’t Love Me Where it Hurts.”
Track starts with a straight quarter note progression on the piano. We’re in E, around 84 BPM. Three things I love right away is the upright, old-school tone, the sound of the keys working, and the chord change he implements in measure four as the vocals start. Lovely and unexpected. Jordan’s vocal tone is precise and airy, and his pronunciation is crystal clear. Lyrically it’s beautiful tale, right off the bat that pulls me in.
The band comes in on the second verse. It’s synonymous with the great pop-rock ballads of the 60’s and 70’s - fluid progressions and a non-standard format in terms of cadence and length - love it. Don’t know why, but it keeps reminding me of a mixture of Christopher Cross and The Beach Boys. His voice reminds me of Cross, but it’s his beautiful dissonant chord choices that remind me of Wilson. Oh, and then of course a horn section comes in at 1:53 that reminds me of early Neil Diamond or the Beatles. Clearly Sommerlad is a student of music - this is a thorough production - a trip down memory lane - to say the least.
The horn section solo leads us back into a chorus section as the track continues to build and gain momentum. Note that the mo’ really started to pick up with the bass lines that started moving heavily in the 2nd verse. You also need to pick up on the fact that while some of the musical structures have repeated (verse, chorus, verse, chorus), there have been no real lyrical repeats, yet. I love surprises like this. Obviously this is a situation that is near and dear to his heart - the story is too thick to simplify - too important to rinse and repeat the chorus.
Follow the lyrics and you’ll understand why at 2:35 comes the first repeated phrases (“with you at least I know”), and then at the end of the song - with the winddown - that he chooses to repeat the very first chorus. Very non-traditional, very emotional, very cinematic. If you listen to his other works (see below), you’ll start to see a pattern. Lastly, pickup on when the drums really took off - after the first repeated phrases, in conjunction with bringing the horns back in, at the pinnacle of lyrical emotion in the track. As I often say in my reviews, once you’ve heard a song for the first time, go back and try and follow just one instrument with your ears to see how it all fits together. Jordan does a wonderful job of keeping the piano the driving force, even when it takes a back seat in the mix. And, as big as the song gets, the focus on the quality of the vocal (not just the delivery, but it’s placement in the mix) is superb.
Make sure you scroll down to catch his other tracks and socials. I absolutely love “Stay,” it’s got some of the better guitar tones I’ve heard in a while and his voice is perfect for the story and melody. “Without An End” is a fantastic twee duo in collaboration with his wife, Lizzy Miller. Great production, lyrics and melody - what a cute track! You should also check out one of his first releases. “Hiding in the Walls,” and this amazing video that he shot for it. Hard to believe this is the same artist - but then again I alluded to that in the first paragraph, didn’t I?
Great work Jordan, very impressive! Hope to see you live someday!