The soothing compositions on this album are Feist-esque folksy lullabies, with a little more country harmonica and a lot more ukulele and banjo. This comparison comes through in the second track, "No Surprise". Jon's voice is less pronounced than Feist's, with a quivering, Neil Young quality atop rich harmonies with vocalist Susan Young.
This album is a delightful collection of meandering layers entirely performed, produced and written by Jon himself. This rich layering is particularly noticeable in "Little Wonder" and "Conversa Phone", where there are no lyrics, just gradually building elements that result in fabulously diverse compositions.
Susan Young's harmonies add a nice touch. Not to downplay her contributions, but I always find the one-man-band particularly impressive, especially when the compositions are so complex; I guess it's true that if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself? just ask the legend Stevie Wonder. Maybe Jon's just a stubborn Taurus like me.
