Written By: Oliver Heffron
Jordan Ward’s Remain Calm EP showcases the St. Louis-turned-Los Angeles artist’s effortless vocal talent and versatile sound, compressing a wide spectrum of emotions and genres into the project’s refreshingly efficient eleven minute duration. Remain Calm builds off the distinct sound of his debut project, Valley Hopefuls, which introduced Ward’s ability to equally step into different genres with skill, talent and enthusiasm, delivering the the sun-washed summertime jubilation on one track and and minimalist R&B melancholy on the next.
Remain Calm presents the polished progression of Jordan Ward’s sound, synthesizing different genres and emotions with each track. “Lil Baby Crush” sways your hips with the light summer breeze as Jordan Ward croons charmingly about the under-appreciated emotion of falling in like, the tiny little romantic bubbles of catching the eyes of someone who infatuates you. “Thrive” layers Ward’s soothing voice into a sweeping harmony contemplating the psychological pitfalls of judgement and self-loathing over a bed of deeply reverberated guitars. “Steph” charismatically switches the pace into straight rap as Jordan delivers a barrage of bantering bars over a thunderous trap groove and leaves the project on a playful display of Ward’s lyrical capabilities and fun loving personality.
Photo Courtesy of Jordan Ward
Ward’s visual accompaniments match the creative focus and craft of his music, regularly posting music videos, visualizers and BTS documentaries on his youtube page which share a different side of Jordan’s artistic vision and engaging personality. With the release of Remain Calm, Jordan Ward polishes his sound and presents the best of his diverse musical talents and personality, makes a compelling case as as rising, versatile star and reaffirms the sentiment of project’s opening track “Standards:” “I got high standards … Ain’t no posing, only candids”