Teen Mom did it to me. The guilty pleasure MTV reality show following the lives and trials of four young mothers infected me with an ear worm that wouldn't go away until it was satisfied. Last week's episode ended with a song by a little-known Canadian, Jason Kent, who must have good friends at the network. It's really too bad it's so hard to find Kent's music as the payoff is definitely worth the effort.
Despite the fact Kent's self-titled debut album was released in 2008, the Teen Mom exposure is probably the first time many people have been exposed to his brand of singer/songwriter tunes. While he occasionally sounds similar to Harvest-era Neil Young, Kent has an understated, simple way of singing that appealed to me quickly. Hearing the piano chords of "Slowly Dive in Love" I immediately perked up as this was far different than the usual MTV show soundtrack. It's a haunting track that seems to beg to be played at the end of a long night. Other tracks are more upbeat and remind one of early Wilco, never a bad thing.
According to maplemusic.com, Kent has has opened for Rufus Wainwright, Neko Case, Arctic Monkeys, April Wine, Melissa Auf der Maur, The Stars, The Dears, The Unicorns, and The Autumn Defense (members of Wilco) among others. Unfortunately, the album is not available on iTunes in the U.S. or Amazon.com. There aren't even any cheap CDs on eBay currently. The only places I found to get the album are through Toronto-based zunior.com (mp3/FLAC) or maplemusic.com (CD). Perhaps with the increased exposure more avenues for obtaining Jason Kent's work will become available.
Don't believe me that Jason Kent can channel Neil Young? Check out this video of Kent performing 'Great Divide' on a Rhodes piano:
'Country Lane' is also found on the 2008 self-titled album.
'America' is another personal favorite from Jason Kent.
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