Detroit born Clayton John cut his teeth on the best pop music of the 1960’s and 1970’s growing up and those influences shine bright in his new single “River”. Now living in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, Clayton has busied himself in recent years playing live at a wide variety of venues whenever opportunity presents itself. It’s enabled him to build a small but fiercely loyal following that songs such as “River” set poised to exploit and expand. The cut has already netted Clayton prestigious rewards but, with additional exposure, it’s the sort of complete example of songcraft that could make the songwriter’s name globally recognized.
The talent is there. His primary instrument is the piano but, as “River” illustrates, he doesn’t hesitate to expand his range to full band arrangements. The new single has a lightly orchestrated quality in the way Clayton raises it from a relatively spartan opening to a wide open arrangement as the song progresses. The development is patient and considered. Clayton’s willingness to allow the song to unfold in a timely fashion rather than rushing it is one of the keys to the track’s ultimate success.
His production keeps things clean and unfettered. Listeners aren’t contending with a vast assortment of instruments during “River”, he adorns the song’s sonic landscape with piano, keyboards, drums, and guitar, but those instruments are kept in clear balance with one another. The song never sounds cluttered. It’s a testament to his astute instincts, however, that Clayton achieves such a grand sound in the end without the aid of countless accompaniment. He accomplishes so much with so comparatively little.
His instincts as a lyricist are equally sharp. “I was born by the river…” is such a simple opening line, shorn of any excess, but it sets the stage for everything that follows. This focused aesthetic holds true for the remainder of the performance as well. Clayton composed this song with a firm idea of what he wanted to say well in mind and his writing reaches that ambition without an ounce of fat weighing down his intended message.
Clayton has an excellent voice for conveying this material. It’s appropriately emotive, yet doesn’t succumb to overwrought singing. His feel for what these words need is peerless. Clayton inhabits each line with an audible sense of stakes; he’s putting himself out there and on the line, vulnerable, yet his performance resounds with palpable strength. He doesn’t possess the most conventionally beautiful voice in the world, it does have nasal qualities capable of turning some listeners away, but persist with it and you’ll be grateful in the end.
He isn’t a raw talent who needs years and further releases to properly develop. Everything is in place and the future is now. Clayton John’s superb piano playing, his sense for melody, and his lyrical acumen are excellent and set to get even better. We haven’t heard him at his absolute best yet, but that’s coming. “River” is another step towards that goal and it behooves you to search it out today.
Chadwick Easton