J. Caruso is a Folk-Pop Spectacle
J. Caruso performing live. John Caruso via jcarusosound.com
J. Caruso, a New Rochelle native who’s been in the local music scene for well over 10 years now, wowed at his most recent performance at La Hacienda de Mexico in Poughkeepsie on Oct 21.
Keeping to a strict repertoire of cover songs meant to please an audience, Caruso, armed with an acoustic guitar and his smooth alto voice, rearranged popular classics like Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’ and Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On,’ transforming them into stunning folk-pop dreamscapes. He took the audience into the musical worlds he was creating, leading to moments of singing along and listening very intently in others.
This performance was different from other one-person acoustic cover acts as, rather than beat down on barre chords for four hours, Caruso would pop in some intricate fingerpicking licks, play these beautiful open chords, which made the guitar sound enormous, and top it all off with his sweet and melodic alto. Making it unconventional enough to perk up an unassuming ear and maintain enough of the song’s recognizability to attract an audience.
Five years since his last full original release and 10 years since his first single, Caruso seems to be in an intermediary stage in his music career. He is exceptionally talented with an ear for unique-sounding musical passages, enhancing the simpler parts of the songs he was playing; it was disappointing not to hear him play any of his original music.
His self-titled album, “J. Caruso,” is available on all streaming platforms. Its roots, especially vocally, are in emo music; however, the album stands firm in its folk-pop classification, transcending both genres and creating a sonic landscape that is distinctly familiar yet difficult to classify. If you’re a fan of MTV Unplugged albums, acoustic versions/sections of emo songs, or modern alt-folk acts like Sufjan Stevens, this album is for you. “Ballroom” and “Sweet Talk” are personal album highlights. During an intermission, Caruso revealed that he plans to record new original material starting mid-November, indicating a new release within the next few months.
The performance was a familiar trope in solo acoustic acts playing a restaurant gig; however, J. Caruso added his twist to it, transforming it into a delightfully mystical experience and a masterclass in folk-pop arrangements.