Getting Dressed in the Dark

Personnel: Jaron Lowenstein (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, percussion, background vocals); Jimmy Dulin (guitar, electric guitar, percussion, programming, loops); Rex Schnelle (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo); Greg Barnhill (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Tim Galloway, Mike Durham (electric guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (mandolin, violin); Jason Scheff (piano, background vocals); Jimmy Wallace (keyboards); Paul Scholten (drums, percussion); Robert Blair (drums); Danny Wilde (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Jimmy Dulin; Jaron Lowenstein.
Recording information: County Q Studios, Nashville, TN.
Photographers: Peter Dokus; Kii Arens; Nick Arciero.
If Jaron Lowenstein's name sounds familiar, that's because Getting Dressed in the Dark -- his debut as a country artist -- isn't his first project. Lowenstein spent most of the `90s and early 2000s playing with his brother in the pop duo Evan & Jaron, whose popularity reached a brief peak in 2000 with "Crazy for This Girl." The brothers threw in the towel three years later, prompting Jaron to launch his own career as a Nashville-styled songwriter. Getting Dressed in the Dark often owes more to Lowenstein's pop influences than Nashville's country tradition, but it also plays to his strengths fairly well. He's an affable vocalist and adequate storyteller, and he mines a recent breakup for the bulk of his irreverent, sometimes surprisingly dark lyrics. "Pray for You" opens with a gospel flourish before taking a few twisted turns ("Honey, I'll pray for you. I pray your tire blows out at 110"), and "I Hope You Hit Traffic" continues the snarky automotive theme. ~ Andrew Leahey