Free and legal MP3 from Aidan Knight (effortlessly strong, country-tinged sing-along)

"Jasper" - Aidan Knight
     When a song comes along as effortlessly gladdening as "Jasper" I actually get a little suspicious. "That's it?" I think. "It's that easy to write a really good song? A sing-along even? Anybody could do that!"
     But of course as it turns out anybody can't. Otherwise we'd have a lot more of this around, which we clearly do not. There's something ramrod solid about this song, even as it glides so easily through its three and a half minutes. Perched squarely on the shoulders of Aidan Knight's comfortable, boy-next-door baritone, "Jasper," for all its laid-back, singer/songwriter-y vibe, shines with the melodic assurance of an old Elton John song. (This is, to be clear, a compliment, and anyone who doesn't realize that would do well to go revisit some of the songs Sir Reg recorded between 1970 and 1974.) The song sounds channeled more than written, and everything about its presentation--from the delightfully restrained steel-guitar licks to the climactic group-sung chorus--rings true and right, as if no one had to decide any of this, as if it sprung to life of its will alone.
     Knight is from the lovely city of Victoria, B.C.; "Jasper" is from Versicolour, his first album, which is due out early next month. It is also the first release for the record label Adventure Boys Club, a label started by Knight along with Tyler Bancroft, of the Vancouver band Said the Whale.