Music Review: More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Some good songs

Cons: Lyrics and music don't stand out

The Bottom Line:

The songs here are good

But nothing sets his apart

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I bought Jonny Diaz's disc More Beautiful You thinking it was a debut.  And it is, of sorts.  Jonny's released a couple of independent CDs, but this is his first record with a major label company.  Not that this background truly matters.  What matters is if these songs are good.  For the most part they are, although there is little here to make Jonny stand out from the pack.

This is a pure pop CD.  There are occasional moments of rockiness or other influences, but there is little here that will turn off pop fans or broaden his base beyond that part of the Christian market.  Frankly, I do enjoy the style, so that works for me.

The disc opens with the first single and the title track.  "More Beautiful You" is an old theme for songs.  It pointedly talks about true beauty coming from the inside and not fitting a mold you get from a magazine or someone else's expectations.  And the song is aimed squarely at girls.  As I said, not exactly original material.  But the song has a great hook that pulls you right into the song with Jonny almost talking the verses before singing the chorus.

"Soon Will Fade" points out how quickly fades can come and go as our culture looks for a permanent love.  It's got a peppy beat and strong guitar.

One of my favorites is "Stand for You."  The guitar plays with a nice syncopated beat.  But the lyrics were what got me.  It talks about standing for the truth in a world which tries to deny it.  Some of the lines are funny like "They say there are no absolutes but are they absolutely sure."  But the song also zings Christians with lines like "You made a promise that You're coming back to earth/So how selfish am I if I don't go tell the world."

Jonny throws a bit of a Caribbean flavor into things with "Love Like You Loved."  His guitar must have been capoed pretty low because it sounds like a ukulele here.  The song is a prayer to be more like Jesus in our daily lives.

I do think this disc represents a first.  I normally fall immediately for songs with prodigal themes to them, but I took a while to warm up to "Prodigal Like Me."  Now I do like it.  It highlights more piano than most of the other tracks as Jonny brings famous Bible characters into his description of how hard his heart has gotten.  I think the thing I like most about the song now is that he describes the problem as apathy, not downright rebellion.  Yes, that was the case in the original parable, but it's nice to be reminded that we can grow apart from God for a number of reasons.  And the upbeat, catchy melody helped win me over, too.

"What I'm Waiting for" continues the theme as it talks about complacency and how it can separate someone from God as well.  This song has a driving beat that makes it the most like a rock song on the disc.  The honest really brings it home for me.

There are very few slow tracks on the disc.  Most are closer to mid-tempo.  Such is the case with "See the Wind."  We've got some cello and violin mixing with the guitar as Jonny sings of his desire for faith and reality to combine.

But I must admit my favorite track on the disc is the bonus song, "The Opener."  It's a very funny look at what life is like for a relatively unknown artist on the road.  While it's not recorded live, it is just Jonny and his guitar.  Well, there is a harmony vocal part in there.  I can easily see this song becoming a fan favorite, which means he'll have to figure out a way to work it into his concerts even when he's a headliner.

Even at 38 minutes, the disc feels light weight and short.  It's almost like the ideas were almost formed but not given time to finish developing.  Few of the ideas here are original, and the music doesn't make him stand out.  I like what's here, but it could be better.

I took a chance when I picked up More Beautiful You, and I'm glad I did.  This disc has some enjoyable songs on it.  I'm interested in seeing how Jonny Diaz grows as an artist in future releases.

CD Length: 38:38

Tracks:

1. More Beautiful You

2. Soon Will Fade

3. Stand for You

4. Love Like You Loved

5. One Thing

6. Nashville

7. Waiting room

8. Prodigal Like Me

9. What I'm Waiting for

10. See the Wind

11. The Opener