• Band / Artist : J.F. Robitaille – mySpace
• Genre : Folk / Folk Rock
• Sample Track Download : Love the Lie
• Buy CD : Amazon
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 8.5 out of 10

Let me just first say, anyone that features a song by Leonard Cohen on their CD, is always welcome to submit something to Indie Launchpad. That however is not why I’m reviewing this EP, as the Leonard Cohen track came as a surprise, after I received the CD.

J.F. Robitaille first came to my attention via the CBC Radio 3 podcast, which if you haven’t listened to it before, is an excellent resource to find new and established Canadian artists. I can’t remember specifically what track I heard, but there was something about J.F.’s voice that interested me. After receiving and listening to the EP, there’s a great sound that runs throughout the EP.

As with many albums, there’s sometimes a song that stands out for all the wrong reasons. For me this track is “New York”, which seems to break the flow of the EP. It’s not it’s a particularly bad track, it’s just doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the EP, with it’s more upbeat tempo. The rest of the tracks have a more downbeat, melancholic feel to them. The opening title track “The Blood in my Body” pretty much defines the J.F.’s sound, which is a very laidback and acoustic, with a hint of melancholia and even maybe a tinge of sadness. This EP is something that I would love to see expanded into a full album release. It is however harking back to the 60’s with a track length of only 1 minute 48 seconds. In fact most of the songs seem to go for that perfect two minute pop song length, which was a huge part of the 60’s, but today leaves you hungry for more. Mmm, now maybe that’s a marketing ploy to build interest in the full length album when it finally arrives.

“Morning after Morning” is a great example of great song writing. The lyrics set the scene wonderfully and the song unfolds, to a very basic accompaniment of drums and acoustic guitar, with just a hint of backing vocals, which compliment, as oppose to compete. “Love the Lie” starts off in a similar vein to the previous track, but opens up to something more upbeat and contemporary, without breaking the feel of the EP. “Never Forget (Demo)” is one of those tracks, that if it truly is a demo, should be left untouched and treated as a completed song, as it works just as it is. Just vocals and a guitar, resulting in beautiful song.

As I mentioned earlier, the EP rounds things with a song originally by Leonard Cohen. Not just any song, but probably one of Cohen’s most famous compositions “Famous Blue Raincoat” and J.F. does this song no disservice whatsoever. In fact this song could have almost been written for J.F. as it sits with him very well.

Conclusion : A great first EP from what is sure to become a rising star. Yes the tracks are a little on the short side, but they still go to make a wonderfully full featured EP.