Track Review: Mama’s Girl // Jacob George Band
The Six Degrees of Separation theory argues that people are always six or fewer social connections away from each other. If this means I have a social connection to Chris Hemsworth, then I’m all for it, but I tend to have my doubts. Yet, Jacob George Band seems to fall into the theory because their three members happened to connect in less than six social connections.
The short version is that Nestor Rigaud (bass) responded to a Craigslist ad by Jacob George (vocals and guitar) looking for musicians. It turned out that Jacob had heard one of Nestor’s songs in his songwriting classes at Berklee College of Music and this just enhanced their newfound friendship. The third member, Tom Gilfoy (drums), happened to be Jacob’s high school science teacher and his brother-in-law. I don’t know, but this fits into the theory. The latest release, and first as a trio, is the single ‘Mama’s Girl’.
Influenced by the likes of Wilco, The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, Counting Crows and Foo Fighters, the US-based group has quite a melting pot of inspiration. This being said, it makes sense that the Jacob George Band’s music is genre-defying breaking boundaries within a stagnant rock scene. ‘Mama’s Girl’ incorporates dynamic and steady drumming in a soothing and harmonic way. Reminiscent of Foo Fighters, this song takes alt-rock sounds of the early 2000s with a bit of a modern-day rock flair.
Along with the charming, toe-tapping melody, Jacob’s smooth vocals tips you into a swirl of sound traversing the kaleidoscopic soundscape. Hushed and intimate, ‘Mama’s Girl’ is a love song that can seem melancholic but isn’t really. The melody courses through your veins with a slight upbeat quality placing a smile on your face. I have always said you have “feel songs” and “describe songs” – it’s not simple to describe the overwhelming beauty of ‘Mama’s Girl’ so I guess you need to listen to JGB’s music to appreciate it.