I’m waiting for a flight to New York listening to Jay Bennett lament a 5th grade girl “who drew pretty pictures” on the second song of his recently released album, The Magnificent Defeat. He continues, “but I never found out just what happened to her,” and I am filled with past recollections of my younger years and all those people who meant so much to me at the time but are now only part of my childhood memories.

You’ll find a lot went into Jay Bennett’s recent release both emotionally and musically. Coming off the heels of a divorce this album finds Jay writing the best lyrics of his career, leaving nothing left unsaid. To that point you need to look no further than the first single off the album, “Replace You,” where he sings, “It’s so dark in here I can hardly find my way to leave you.”

What Jay has managed to do is make a near perfect alt-country album, if people are still using that phrase but also not shy away from laying down some straight up rock and roll. If you’ve been a fan of Jay’s previous work, expected to have all your future expectations of him raised, and please take our word and check out his album.

MP3: Jay Bennett – Replace You (yousendit)
Myspace: Jay Bennett