Jordan Thompson spent a decade honing his skills as a singer/songwriter which eventually led his path to producer/studio musician Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank, Live) and arranger Patrick Warren (Rob Thomas, Kate Voegele, Bruce Springsteen, Avril Lavigne) who have teamed up to help mold Thompson’s forthcoming album under the name Striking Back. The result is the combination of studio experience, passion, and a great lyrical translation which hangs heavily on worldly experience.

First off the mix for this album is excellent. Vocals are well separated and overlayed well with guitars, which don’t dominate the album, but have a more defined clarity to their sound among the other instruments. Thompson’s voice has an excellent amount of control. He doesn’t possess a vast amount of range but he does well adjusting within and without the landscape of emotion that his vocals share with the lyrical. For this genre of music he is a perfect fit.

Mind you Thompson has been at this for awhile now; writing, performing, experiencing new things while touring, and his writing reflects that. The album sounds like someone who has begun to doubt themselves due to an overexposure to the world, seeing to much. Wirt and Patrick do an excellent job interpreting the narrative of Thompson’s lyrics and directing them with equally powerful arrangements that boost the level of ambiance needed to drive the message home. I dare say the anxiety and frustration of the lyrics and vocal delivery paired soundtrack like with the orchestrations you hear in the music make this very easy to understand album all the more beautiful for what it is. Be sure to check out Striking Back’s myspace website where you can find full version streams of 4 of the 6 tracks on the album. Enjoy.