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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we last heard from <\/span>Jack Spann<\/b>, he had just released his second album <\/span>Beautiful Man from Mars<\/b> (2017 – Big Boo Music – ASCAP), we noted his penchant for writing story songs propelled by piano hooks. \u00a0Fans and new listeners alike will find his new CD, <\/span>Propaganda Man<\/b> another step forward for Spann as a singer\/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. \u00a0Like that other singer\/songwriter <\/span>Billy Joel<\/b>, Jack Spann\u2019s narrative story telling style pulls the listener into his songs. \u00a0Joel has never lacked the ability to write catchy piano hooks and vocal arrangements, but Billy\u2019s recording technique usually involves a host of musicians in the studio. \u00a0Unlike Joel, Spann used a smaller fraternity of musicians on Beautiful Man from Mars while he himself provided the guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboards on most of the tracks. \u00a0\u00a0The demo tracks for Propaganda Man utilized his Treehouse Recording Studio guys Don Kelly (drums), Ben Taylor (guitar), and Mike Preen (bass) with additional keyboard work by co-producer Gary Tanin. \u00a0Most of the final tracking is attributed Spann, Tanin, and drummer Robb Cecil. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jack Spann\u2019s first album (<\/span>Time, Time, Time, Time, Time<\/b> – 2016) gave us a glimpse of his ability to use vocal inflections to add punch to his lyrics. \u00a0BMfM saw him add more sonic layers to his songs and Jack has taken another step forward with the arrangements on Propaganda Man. \u00a0What separates Jack Spann from the Billy Joel school of pop music is the way he weaves the instruments and vocals around the piano hooks that drive the songs. \u00a0Spann\u2019s songs are not a typical two or three layer cake of verse, chorus, instrumental break. They remind me more of a multi-layered tort with a few different flavored layers inserted in the form of interesting instrumental or vocal snippets that enhance the feel of the whole song. \u00a0As any one who frequents bake shops will attest: a layer cake is good, but the flavor profile of a many layered tort can make a regular cake seem dull by comparison. Jack Spann has assembled an entire box of tasty torts that will delight your ears.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Here is a quick peek at what Master Baker Spann has assembled for Propaganda Man:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The title track of <\/span>Propaganda Man<\/b> is vintage Jack Spann. \u00a0Two minutes in, the song has shifted gears several times from the guitar picking balladry of the introduction into pumping rock to a dreamy, swirling cloud of sound. \u00a0As the vocals parts criss-cross in and out of the mix, he sings of \u2018crunching numbers\u2019 and \u2018equations . . . while the world waits, breathless\u2019 – one can put their own spin on what sounds suspiciously like a social commentary about the politics of spinning information. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Rage in Garden<\/b> takes us back to Adam and Eve in Eden. \u00a0There is a lot going on in this track and the bass line keeps the head bobbing and the drums will make the toes tap. \u00a0Another Spann specialty is evident here: how he changes tempo between various verses and the chorus. Adding horns gives it just enough Jersey Sound flair to qualify as a tune that <\/span>Little Steven<\/b> should cover it with his <\/span>Disciples of Soul.<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>If they ever make a reboot of that Cold War classic movie parody <\/span>Dr. Strangelove<\/b>, I would like to suggest they use <\/span>All Go Together<\/b> as the theme song. \u00a0Even if you haven\u2019t seen the movie, the lyrics make as much sense for the world today as they would for that other Cold War. \u00a0If it is possible to write an upbeat sounding song about nuclear war, Jack has nailed it here.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Her Majesty<\/b> put my mind in a <\/span>Beatles\u2019<\/b> frame just from the title. \u00a0To my delight, it did indeed go in a direction that echoed the<\/span> Abbey Road<\/b> vintage of the Fab Four. \u00a0I especially like the drumming – it is hard to sound like<\/span> Ringo <\/b>but they pull it off on this track – one of many elements that give the track this Beatles fan\u2019s stamp of approval.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Have we heard Jack do Motown yet? \u00a0<\/span>Gotta Lotta Soul<\/b> really does sound like a Billy Joel tune recorded in Detroit with <\/span>Ray Charles<\/b> at the keys for good measure. \u00a0After a couple of tempo changes, Spann settles into a Motown groove with a great approximation of <\/span>Barry Gordie\u2019s<\/b> secret weapon (<\/span>The Adantes) <\/b>on background vocals.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As the title of track six suggests, <\/span>Lullabye<\/b>\u2019s tinkling piano and tender lyrics sound like something a father would croon to their new born. \u00a0The harmony vocal, organ, bass, and drums all occupy different parts of the song but pull it together into a very emotional way. \u00a0Keeping the family vibe, Spann immediately kicks into the funky <\/span>Sing Your Own Song<\/b> where grandpa dispenses life advice to \u2018his grandson Jack\u2019. \u00a0Again, the bass sounds more like a lead instrument here but harmonica and brass also take their place in the arrangement.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Anyone who has toiled in a bar band will appreciate <\/span>When Joe Sings<\/b>. \u00a0Propelled by guitar, piano and (again) pulsing bass, it is a moving acoustic number until the drums are added for the second chorus. \u00a0The spoken middle eight transitions into a percussion heavy half speed rhythm that makes it another Spann creation that blends more than one musical style into one tune. \u00a0The song never really speeds up or slows down, but the feel (in the tempo) follows the drum pattern, yet another Jack Spann trick of the trade. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The longest and perhaps most complex track here is <\/span>Marry the Flag<\/b>. \u00a0There isn\u2019t really anything I can compare this to. \u00a0I kept going back to the Tony Stark line in <\/span>Ironman 3<\/b> when he uncharacteristically says, \u201cI got nothing.\u201d \u00a0Let me just day at 7 minutes and change, it is a multi-part \u2018epic\u2019 that you will need to hear for yourself to decide exactly what is going on in Jack\u2019s head. \u00a0A hint: he uses other \u2018voices\u2019 to tell this story of an encounter that starts on Colorado Highway 6. It would be too easy to say Spann could also be a writer. \u00a0Perhaps a painter of sonic artwork would be a better description of his talent for baking, writing, painting, and singing stories.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Dead Man\u2019s<\/b> is an uptempo rocker that lets one\u2019s mind unwind after the twisting tale of Marry the Flag. \u00a0Possibly the simplest arrangement and vocal on the album, it still has plenty of interesting things going on. \u00a0The barrelhouse piano and rocking drums make it a good dance tune. <\/span>Shut The Door<\/b> closes the album (almost) with piano and bass anchoring the song that is laid back but still moves. \u00a0Jack\u2019s vocal inflections and what sounds like a harpsichord and the tinkling of glass chimes are used with great effect.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Beautiful Man from Mars closed with a reprise of the title track and Spann again mines this territory to close Propaganda Man. \u00a0This time, he reprises Lullabye as a mellow instrumental (<\/span>Sweet Dreams (Lullaby Reprise)<\/b>). \u00a0It is just the calming three minutes your brain needs after listening to Jack Spann\u2019s newest gem. \u00a0This is only a hunch, but I have a feeling that Jack is one of those people who dreams in technicolor and sees music in his head while composing. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0WOAS-FM recently received the advance promotional materials for <\/span>Propaganda Man<\/span><\/i> which is slated for release on July 26, 2019 in CD and Digital formats through Big Boo Publishing. \u00a0The following information was taken from the material provided by media contact Gary Tanin at Daystorm Music in Milwaukee:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<\/span>New York City, NY – <\/b>Jack Spann has had an incredible couple of years. \u00a0The Saint Louis native has lived in New York City for the last 18 years and established himself as one of the city\u2019s in-demand keyboardists. \u00a0His reputation led to an introduction to David Bowie\u2019s producer Tony Visconti who hired him to play on the demos for what would be Bowie\u2019s final album <\/span>Blackstar.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Spann\u2019s Visconti connection did not end there. \u00a0It led to an introduction to Milwaukee-based producer Gary Tanin who worked with Spann on his 1st and 2nd solo records, <\/span>Time, Time, Time, Time, Time, Beautiful Man From Mars<\/span><\/i>, and now on his 3rd upcoming release <\/span>Propaganda Man.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The album took two years to complete and is different from his last, in that it faces social issues head on and does not shy away from addressing thorny social conundrums. \u00a0Several guests appear while Spann provides lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, and bass. <\/span>Cecil Robbington<\/b> provides drums and percussion along with producer Gary Tanin adding additional keyboards. \u00a0Spann confesses he draws on the inspiration of having worked with David Bowie on the <\/span>Blackstar<\/span><\/i> demos.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0More information can be found at <\/span>www.jackspann.com<\/span><\/a> , <\/span>www.facebook.com\/hackspannband<\/span><\/a> ,<\/span><\/p>\n