Wearing Someone Else's Clothes

Album review

Jason Robert Brown begins Wearing Someone Else's Clothes with ironic distance on the title cut. The song's narrator has turned his life upside down, thanks to a new love interest, and though he barely recognizes himself, he likes the change. "Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" is accompanied by a soulful, urban sound, highlighted by Brown's smooth vocals, keyboards, and lots of powerful background singing. The only real downside of the song is that -- at five minutes and 31 seconds -- it overstays its welcome by at least a minute and a half. Interestingly, Brown follows this ironic love confessional with an older song, "Long Long Road," about a lover packing her bags and leaving. Once again, Brown packages his song with a nice urban groove, but the song -- once again -- also sticks around way too long. One nice thing about the lyrics of these songs is that they reveal a knack for tackling a familiar subject from a different angle ("Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" and "Getting Out"). It would be a mistake, however, to see Brown as a singer/songwriter in the traditional sense. His approach to his self-penned songs reveals conviction, but the conviction is wrapped inside a theatrical flair. Wearing Someone Else's Clothes will appeal to theatergoers and anyone who appreciates a good song solidly delivered.

© Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo