I Like It Here

After over two decades playing with SoCal folk-rock and alt-country-rock bands like Franklin for Short and his own Tall Tales & the Silver Lining, Trevor Beld Jimenez finally makes his official solo debut with I Like It Here. Established fans will be heartened to learn that the album makes a seamless transition from his work with Tall Tales, who released their seventh and final album, Tightropes, five years prior. In the interim, Beld Jimenez and bandmate Tim Ramsey, who frequently worked together as sidemen (Vetiver, Little Wings, Dios), put out a duo album under the name Parting Lines. Playing guitar and pedal steel, Ramsey is one of over a dozen contributors here, alongside guests that also include longtime Brian Wilson collaborator Nelson Bragg, Fruit Bats Eric D. Johnson, and singer/songwriters Kacey Johansing and Pearl Charles. One of the tracks that highlights some of those female harmony vocals is TRS (True Love), a lively, appreciative entry in line with the albums overall warm, philosophical character. The songs driving, electric-acoustic palette includes keyboards, light strings, and a piano-augmented rhythm section as well as the occasional solo guitar riff. The instruments congregate under the singers hopeful, inclusive lyrics about celebrating love when one finds it. The Petty-esque Get Ready to Fly takes a similar approach, if with substantially more twang, as Beld Jimenez dispenses well-considered advice on the subject of letting go of the past. Uplifting throughout, even on more sedate tracks like Saved Me and the AM pop-inflected I Believe in You, the aptly titled I Like It Here closes with When Your Love Surrounds Me, a relatively sparse, harmony-rich love song that keeps spirits high with a steady rhythm section, melodic slide guitar, and plenty of affection. ~ Marcy Donelson