Trevor Beld Jimenez appears more firmly rooted in a specific time and place than most. ‘I Like It Here’ is his debut solo album. The mission statement for this release seems clear, to create a classic Southern California rock sound redolent of his youth, and in that he has undoubtedly succeeded. The album effectively combines those two staples of the genre – guitar based pop rock anthems and softer ballads. The sound is strongly reminiscent of those times, with close attention paid to each detail throughout. Trevor has been involved in the Southern California music scene for the last decade or so, with Tall Tales and the Silver Lining, Parting Lines and GospelbeacH and many of those musicians have contributed on this record.
‘Moment’ is the opening song and also a separate single. This is catchy, power pop with chugging guitar and an anthemic chorus “And people wanna live in the past for just a moment, Try to make a memory last for just a moment, And I don’t ever want to go back for just a moment, I, I like it here” providing both the album title and confirming that he is here in the present despite the retro sound. Other noteworthy songs include ‘Get Ready To Fly’, ‘Comeback Kid’ and ‘TRS (True Love)’.
For those of us that were steeped in the classic hits of the day, it is not difficult to imagine Tom Petty fronting The Eagles, and once you have captured that sound in your head, you won’t be far off from this work. Listening to this record induces a feeling of warm nostalgia by tapping directly into so many hard-wired memories. The record is an enjoyable “blast from the past”, but it could afford to stray a little further from the classic AOR sound. To quote the release notes, “This is not nostalgia. It is the soul of yesterday, today.”
