Kyle Eastwood: Songs from the Chateau

The music of Songs from the Chateau don’t sound like it would be played in the high halls of such a building; all of the album’s nine tracks would sound just at home in a typical jazz club. Kyle Eastwood’s talent in running up and down the frets is notable, but here he uses it to make music that’s merely passable. The record is well written and well produced, but not many of the album’s tracks stand out, even after a few listens. What’s more, though the textbook perfection of the interplay between the band members makes the record enjoyable, Eastwood doesn’t stand out as a unique artist amongst the talented band that he assembled. Pianist Andrew McCormack is the one who shines throughout the record; his repetitive piano melody on “Over the Line” has an odd addictiveness to it, and serves as an excellent springboard for the rest of the music in the song. That moment aside, the majority of the album is spent as an ordinary demonstration of the interplay between talented jazz musicians. That’s all fine and well, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been heard before.