Jason Karaban’s Succeed 101: Single Review

Jason Karaban’s new single Succeed 101 is unlike his previous material and yet it still gives you the same well-crafted style he’s become known for. The main difference in Succeed 101 is that there is something about it which is much more colorful than his earlier works.

In April of this year Karaban released Mayfly, a three-song EP haunted with Civil War imagery. Sullivan Ballou, a song in said EP, is a ballad with strong, meaningful lyrics about war (with perhaps some hints of hope in between). If Karaban could have been compared to someone, it would have been Gary Jules. However, his new single is something to think twice about — it’s catchy, upbeat and intriguing.

Succeed 101 is not all pop, nor is it exactly indie, but a mixture between the two. There’s a variety of instruments, from what sounds like a French horn to cymbals, to drums and even clapping. This single is very optimistic both in sound and lyrics. Come to think of it, the song would have been a perfect fit to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s musical number in 500 Days of Summer (the lyrics go as follows, “You’ve got all you’ll ever need to succeed…”).

KCRW’s Chris Dourias played Karaban during his show recently and said of the single, “Jason Karaban delivers a great new piece of work that is so infectious. Obviously he followed his own advice because he succeeded on this one.”

Karaban’s single is something to look forward to because it shows the artist in a different light. Succeed 101 is out Nov. 17th through New Model Music, a new record label, formed by Karaban and musician Craig Elkins.

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