The Polar Opposite: The Debut Album from Songwriter John Wolf Vasquez

Influences of culture and fame might be meaningful, pertinent, and pervasive, but independent singer-songwriter John Vasquez has a sound of his own. When asking for reactions to his music, Vasquez is amused by the variety of responses. In fact, The Polar Opposite contains so much variety that Vasquez's style and influences are difficult to name-and that's precisely what makes this album worth more than one listen.

John Vasquez's music is as unconventional and unpredictable as his life and lifestyle. This not-quite-twenty-something with an affinity for dolphins talks freely about aspects of his life-including his marriage. "She asked me," he says with a proud smile. To pay the bills until fame strikes, Vasquez works at a coffee shop where he frequently connects with other musicians, producers, and writers.

The Polar Opposite, Vasquez's debut CD, reaches out immediately to a diverse audience with the first track. "Is Your City Like Mine" features melodic solos and a gripping motive, accompanied by an urban beat.

The album slips to mellow with "I'm At the Beginning." This is a song that typifies the singer-songwriter experience. Bare and pure, the reflective song promotes positivism. It contains a natural sound that always announces the beginning of a true musical master's career-that which reminds the listener of home and of being comfortable.

Many singer-songwriters lose this essential component of music, but Vasquez's life, personality, and musical versatility assure the fan or listener that the core sound is here to stay. Listeners feel that they can trust Vasquez due to his disassociation with decadence and propaganda, knowing he'll leave it to the song rather than allow anyone to overproduce his music on the next album.

A self-described hippie, John Vasquez is a musical risk taker. On "Grace," he experiments with an extreme and soulful vocal timbre. The intense vibrato vocal explosion used in this folk-rock piece is reminiscent of a John Lennon unafraid to sing without vocal effects.

"Grace" also features a crisp yet dreamy guitar sound which complements the rest of the album.

The lyrics to "Greed" are particularly powerful and straightforward. Vasquez's messages, themes, and melodies do not masquerade behind grandiloquence or exaggerated flourishes. "Greed will get you nowhere," he states quite emphatically in a steady swing-song chorus, "We're all stuck in this gap of the American dream."

These reflections make any typically disillusioned listener feel as though he or she doesn't need to write a poem or song about the state of things-Vasquez already did it.

Despite the positive diversity of all of the tracks, Vasquez's music is marked by a dreamy, haunting guitar sound which reflects the aura of a poolside beach or a hookah lounge. Vasquez's lyrics challenge the listener's emotions as well as social and political ideas, but the relaxed guitar accompaniment makes the punchy lyrics easy to handle, even for the most conservative listener.

Catch John Wolf Vasquez's tunes at http://www.myspace.com/johnwolfvasquez