Evan And Jaron - Evan And Jaron (2000)

Though only 26 years old at the time of this release, twin brothers Evan and Jaron Lowenstein had already been through some of the typical difficulties of the record business. After Island Records released We've Never Heard of You Either in 1998, the label went through a merger that allowed many promising acts to fall through the cracks, Evan and Jaron among them. Relocating to Los Angeles, they made some connections with noted musicians, and signed a new deal with another major, Columbia. Maybe the story isn't so much their troubles as it is their persistence and the willingness of a fickle industry to give them another shot. But why not? The two easy-on-the-eyes brothers are good singers and players with a taste for catchy, guitar-based pop/rock. On this self-titled label debut, theirs are the songs of earnest, ambitious young men whose desire is as infectious as their tunes. Moving across the country has given them a subject, and their lyrics are full of a sense of dislocation. Over and over, they sing about being separated from loved ones, but in "Ready or Not" they make clear that their departure was voluntary. Yet despite the occasional flash of humor, Evan and Jaron's songs are less interesting for what they have to say than for how they say it. The duo knows its way around a hook and maintains a good balance between the sweet harmonies that give their music immediate accessibility, and the gritty guitars and powerful beats that give it a rock edge. This is nowhere better demonstrated than on the single "Crazy for This Girl," the kind of track that could convince an A&R executive from any major label to take a chance on Evan and Jaron -- and could easily convince an audience as well.~Evan & Jaron Review by William Ruhlmann