Jasmine Tate

The Jasmine Tate EP

Jun. 1, 2013- Self Released

Run Time 0:27:08

5 songs

Reviewed by Michael Rampa

If there was ever a doubt that the era of the pure inde singer/songwriter was long past, 20-year old Jasmine Tate has put that fear to rest.

In a landscape dominated by EDM, auto tune and manufactured pop stars, Tate is the antithesis. Her five-song EP combines the rawness of urban reality with the hope of the young and soul of the wise. The highlight is the gut wrenching tale of sexual abuse, Believer.  With a vocal drenched in hurt, she challenges God to reveal himself so that she can make peace with the horror. Elsewhere, she calls out Kanye West and uses Chinese, Greek and Arabic lyrics to get love’s universal message across on A Thousand Ways. With her focus on social consciousness, it is fitting that she doesn’t have many upbeat or short songs in her catalog.  What she does have is an influence spectrum ranging from gospel to hip hop wrapped around an acoustic guitar.

The Columbus, OH native has built a devoted following playing college campuses and coffee shops across the country.   The Kickstarter project for her full length album “Life and Love” raised over $20,000. At a generous 14 tracks, it is bound to be thematically cohesive rather than peppered with lead singles taking dead aim at the chart summit.

The EP debuted at #9 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts, eclipsing a little songwriting duo you may have heard of named Simon and Garfunkel. It bodes well for the May release of the full length album, but more importantly, it sets a lyrical and musical standard to which young musicians can aspire.

TRACK LISTING

Sunrise

A Thousand Ways

Believer

Just Wanna Know

Heaven’s Balcony