[FEATURE] Jobie Reviews Music 85: Rheacycle (EP) by James Ethington III
- ChemicalSkylines
- Apr 7, 2021
- 2 min read
Note: Someone has contacted me to feature this album on this series. This does not affect the opinions shared here.
It’s time for something a little different on Jobie Reviews Music. Normally, I’d introduce the EP by stating its name, the duration, and the genre. But there’s something special about this EP that I need to address first. For the first time, since - well, ever - someone has contacted me to feature this album on Jobie Reviews Music. I’d like to thank Tavaron Marshall, who’s the one who reached out to me to review this, for the email. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to email me.
With that out of the way, there’s a bit of background information about this EP that’s worth mentioning. Rheacycle is James Ethington III’s debut 5 track alternative acoustic EP, released on June 3rd, 2020. James Ethington III is an alternative acoustic musician coming out of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Before releasing his debut EP, he busked (street performed) for many years, eventually leading to trips to various high-profile cities, such as Austin, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona.
The album’s engineering and production was also handled by Eric Gubala. Eric Gubala was mentored by Orlando Gomez, who handled production for famous artist Khalid’s debut album. Eric Gubala works part time at Beacon Hill Studios, a high profile studio located in Austin, Texas. Eric Gubala is also involved in numerous projects that mostly involve local artists and Rap Innovators - a Hip Hop collective.
Normally, I don’t comment on an album’s mixing, but it’s especially good on this album. You can definitely see the professionalism Eric Gubala’s mentor gave him through the sheer audio quality of the EP.
It’s also worth noting that “Becca” is the lead single from this EP. And in my opinion, it’s a great lead single. It really isn’t your stereotypical mainstream new-age country love song, rather being a great track with an overall nice sound. This can be accredited to Ethington’s nice vocal delivery and instrumentation, which can be found throughout the entirety of the EP.
Ethington’s tracks are also quite relaxing, with a laid-back, beautiful instrumentation being the main reason for this. Really, there’s nothing musically wrong with this album. I probably wouldn’t have reached for it if it wasn’t for someone reaching out to me, but it’s still a great listen.
My favorite tracks from the EP include “Art of My Life”, “Becca”, and “Looking Glass”. “Becca” is where the album’s great sound really shines through, however.
Overall, Rheacycle is a nice, laid-back EP from the relatively underground James Ethington III. I believe that Ethington has potential going forward. It surprises me that he isn’t more popular yet, since these tracks would likely see mainstream appeal. Keep making music is what I say. I really feel Ethington could be very successful one day, and I wish him the best.
Overall rating:
8.5/10
LINK TO EP:
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