Reviewed by Kerry Blewett

This is the second review that I’ve done on one of John Lester’s albums, the 1st being “Live at the Freight and Salvage Coffee House”. “So Many Reasons” is a studio project recorded in 2006 that affords him the opportunity of having more musicians contribute to each song, the live album relied mostly on John flying solo and later in the performance bringing on some guest artists.
Having now listened to John quite a few times I finally realise that his style of singing as well as the compositions remind me of Michael Franks. All compositions are John’s. Do yourself a favour and access his website, there are plenty of interesting things to discover. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that two songs from this CD, the title track and “Beware la Merde”, took top honours in the West Coast Songwriters International Songwriting Competition.
The title track is first up with John on the double bass. This is a gentle, pretty, uncomplicated love song. Next up is the swinging “Steppin’ Back in Time” which will be a hit with fans of trad jazz, the kind of big band jazz that you can catch on Sundays at the Radium Beer Hall in Orange Grove.
“Last Letter to Theo” is a soulful song dedicated to Vincent van Gogh’s brother Theo who supported Vincent van Gogh through his trials and tribulations as a painter. The winning song in the category of “best humorous song” is “Beware la Merde”, a quirky, figure-snapping little number about the perils of stepping out in Paris.
“Good Intentions” is a catchy up-tempo jazz number featuring John on electric bass. The next song “Both a Blessing and a Curse” is an autographical tale about the reasons for playing music and also about the hard times and good times that any musician trying to make a living from playing music would be able to attest to.
“Union Street” in San Francisco is where John lived for a while and built a demo recording studio. This song tells the story about three homeless people who lived on the street.
“Rose Colored Glasses” is a cheerful be-bop tune performed on his 80 year old acoustic upright bass. I get the feeling that the title of this song reflects John’s personal attitude towards life.
Once again I found myself thoroughly enjoying the work of John Lester and am not surprised by the rave reviews that he seems to attract worldwide.