JJ Plasencio

Item: JJ Plasencio
Author: Steven S. Baldwin

(2000)

Reviewed by Steven S. Baldwin

Apple Music TIDAL Spotify

Label Hot PepperThe Phantom Tollbooth2000

adult alternative modern rock pop rock

JJ Plasencio? If the name isn't ringing a bell, it should. Although he left the band before they officially became the "Next Big Thing," Plasencio was the bass player for three Sixpence None the Richer albums, including This Beautiful Mess, Tickets to a Prayer Wheel and eleven of the thirteen tracks from the self-titled Sixpence album of "Kiss Me" and "There She Goes" fame. Plasencio also played bass on the first Plumb album and tour, and made appearances on tour with both Fernando Ortega and Jars Of Clay. His nearly ubiquitous and highly regarded presence on the contemporary Christian and Nashville music scene for several years has rightly earned him a reputation as one of the most amiable and talented musicians around. Then, for all intents and purposes, he disappeared from that same scene to become the music and arts pastor at Gateway Community Church in Austin, Texas, and spend some time with his family. While there he built a home studio, threw down some demo tracks, and eventually emerged with this stunning solo album.

JJ Plasencio the self-titled album is a refreshing piece of adult alternative music. Handling virtually all the mixing and production himself (Mark Nash formerly of PFR co-produced the first track), JJ Plasencio has fashioned an album so well constructed that it actually sounds louder and clearer than P.O.D.'s The Fundamental Elements of Southtown at the same volume on the dial, though it's not likely to have the same kind of raw, aggressive effect on its listeners. As expected Plasencio also handles all the album's bass guitar tracks, most of the lead vocals, a fair bit of the programming and loops, and the majority of the acoustic and electric guitar work. Rounding out the band are a number of talented guests including Sixpence's Dale Baker and Love Coma's Chris Dodd on the drum tracks, Plumb's Stephen Leiweke on guitars and drum programming, and Plumb's Tiffany Arbuckle on the lead vocals for one of the album highlights "It's Alright," an upbeat pop song that largely reminds the listener of, well, Plumb. The result of everyone's collective contributions under Plasencio's direction is an album that varies in styles and tempos, while remaining safely in the realm of contemporary modern rock and progressive pop. There are hints of the bands Plasencio has played with before, as well as some graceful nods to the likes of The Choir, Bruce Cockburn, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Lou Reed, Michael W. Smith, U2 and Vector.

Plasencio's strengths are not merely his considerable musical talent, but his gifted songwriting. The entire recording is a musical diary of Plasencio's trials and tribulations in the last six years of his life and struggle as an artist. Rather than railing against record labels like REX, even Nashville per se, or other exterior sources of frustration, Plasencio spends most of the time introspectively focused on himself. Or as he says in the liner notes:

The artist begins pure in his desires to know God and to create. But his heart becomes tarnished by human frailty and compromise to a machined industry. As he begins to examine his life, he gains a deeper understanding of himself through blessings, forgiveness and unfailing love.

Caught in the conflict of art, commerce and true spirituality, JJ Plasencio has emerged triumphant as a musician who has gotten back to the truly relevant exploration of art and faith in a way fans can appreciate.

In light of his many strengths, Plasencio's weakness is his vocal talent. He surely sings sufficiently, and even effectively, but his vocal work lacks both confidence and a distinctive quality at times. This may account for the fact that the vocals are often buried too much in the mix, one of the songs is an instrumental, and another is sung by someone else. This particular weakness is most noticeable on songs like "Loss of Words," where it ironically fits the subject matter of confusion in the face of hard times and
personal regret. Regardless, Plasencio's growth area as a singer does not overly diminish the value and enjoyment of the album as a whole.

Across the board, the songscapes Plasencio has created are quite impressive, and even sound organic, like well constructed industrial folk which couples acoustic guitars and clear melodies with more technical and synthesized bits, samples and drum loops. The album has a large number of highlights, including the playful opening track "As Do I," which is one of the best constructed of the bunch. "As Do I" also serves as an artist's beautiful testimony of finding God in the midst of both art and His creation. "Little Boy" very tellingly recounts Plasencio's personal struggles as a young boy abandoned by his birth mother. Leave it up to the bass player in Plasencio to also include a fabulous fretless bass solo. A delicate apology to his family for being away on the road for much too long, the rhythmically driven song "Family" also recalls the best of Vector's work from Temptation. As the title of this gentle, melodic song suggests, "Joy" is a celebration of God's gift of joy. What is not readily apparent, however, is how this exquisitely beautiful song asks the question why it's so hard humanly-speaking to accept the joy that the Lord offers and then challenges the listener to take on more of Christ's likeness. The most hard-hitting, introspective lyrics are found in the song "Conversation w/ my Soul," which is among the most straight forward drum, guitar, bass album tracks:

We can't all be heroes - some of us just try to live
We can't all sing the blues the way Robert Johnson did
Made many promises to friends with different names
and forgiveness is an island in an ocean of my shame

I'm told to be like Jesus
But I wonder how He laughed
Did He ever feel tired of not being loved back?
And grace fits like an old suit
that I wear from time to time
You wear yours to parties
but I guess no one minds

If you wrap yourself in music
Don't take this personal
I'm having a slow conversation with my soul.

Repeatedly, Plasencio exposes his compassionate heart and vulnerably slaps it up on his sleeve for everyone to see and experience for themselves. This one-two-three knock-out combination of sheer honesty, musical depth and originality, and poetic artistry is both compelling and thoroughly enjoyable. This is one independently released album that is far more deserving of a wider audience than it is likely to receive.

4 tocks