Articles

Front Porch Step ‘Whole Again’ EP Review

By  | 

After the success of his 2013 debut album, ‘Aware’, Jake Mcelfresh, better known as Front Porch Step, is set to release his new ep ‘Whole Again’ on December 2. If you haven’t heard of this guy, well you’ve been missing out. The Newark, Ohio native exhibits raw lyrics accompanied by a gritty voice that you wont hear anywhere else. If you like acoustic driven music, we suggest you keep reading.

The first song on the EP, ‘A Lovely Mess’, tells the tale of a man who finds the girl of his dreams, and stops at nothing to be the man he thinks he should be for her. The fast acoustic riffs intertwined with brutally honest lyrics like “I may not be everything you want/But I can give you all I have/I’m not the perfect man, but you are just so perfect and/ I want to be the one that holds your hand” could make any girl weak at the knees.

Next up, ‘Heaven Sent’, is a bit slower, and tells not a story of love, but of absolute heartbreak. Reminiscing about an old love, Mcelfresh gives you a front row seat into his brain as he deals with not only the process of trying to get over her, but breaking down into pieces when he found out she passed away. One of the most honest pieces of music I’ve heard in a very long time and it helps me to see that not only is he a hopeless romantic, but has a heart of gold as well.

The third track is Mcelfresh’s take on the holiday classic ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’. Soft guitar riffs, jingle bells, and the rasp of his voice combined make this one rendition you’ll definitely be playing around the house during the holidays.

The title track, ‘Whole Again’, rounds out the EP. This is Mcelfresh’s edgier track, with harder guitar riffs, the addition of full band, and more growls in his voice. Also, the song concludes with a one minute and forty-nine second break down with just the band, the acoustic guitar, and Mcelfresh repeating the words hauntingly, “you make me whole again”.

When I finished the four song EP, I found myself breathless and wanting more. This man has a gift of not only being able to tell a story through his lyrics, but catch you off guard by the voice that comes out of him. I HIGHLY recommend you pick up this EP on December 2 on iTunes.