Vancouver Province 2005
Jason Zumpano thinks in terms of how his songs will be orchestrated, not just accompanied. This means trumpets as well as the usual guitars, basses and drums. Zumpano first gained attention with the band Zumpano, which excelled at upbeat, tune-filled pop. As leader of Sparrow, he hasn’t changed much. An EP was darker and more reflective, but this cd is as melodic as before though more keyboard- based. Brass embellishes songs that put him in the tradition of songwriters such as Nilsson, Jimmy Webb or Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Sparrow can rock, but not in obvious ways.