Musical expression can be used for multiple purposes, whether it be entertainment, attention, money, or simply as a medium to communicate mental and emotional turmoil. For Derek Jordan, it just so happens to be the latter. 
Jordan, a singing, song-writing guitarist from Pittsburgh, pours his thoughts, observations and theories into a compilation entitled Identity (fitting, considering the subject matter). The Pennsylvania native plays a variety of alternative and indie rock, heavily influenced by classic rock greats such as Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin. The nature of his vocals can be easily paralleled to Chris Cornell (Who happens to be Jordan’s favorite vocalist–how pleasantly ironic?) and at times, if his voice is high enough, you hear a bit of Ozzy thrown in.
The lyrics for each song are comprised of poetic, one-liners and are quite deep in a psychological and physiological sense. It’s very difficult to determine during the first listen what the underlying meaning is in each track (as with most unique pieces of music), but give it another listen and be patient. It all makes sense in the end. For example, “Good Bye Jupiterâ€, describes the freedom of letting go of a love that wasn’t meant to be and “Vaccine†is an ode to finding yourself naturally, rather than through drugs or other self-destructive behavior (everyone’s got an opinion I suppose).
His classic rock rifts and engaging guitar solos provide a casual atmosphere, almost as if you are watching him jam while he has discussions with you about how he views the world and himself, in a melodic nature of course. Jordan will be having a release party for his album at the King King in Los Angeles on April 2nd, so if you happen to dig his album, pencil it in.
Tracklisting:
01. Goodbye Jupiter
02. Vaccine
03. She Wanted to Change
04. War with Your Love
05. Rather Be Naked
06. Hold on Tight
07. Dancing Vampires
08. I Don’t Bite (Too Hard)
09. Geronimo
10. Living for Two
Derek Jordan: website | myspace
