Reeves weaves a musical career with collaboration

By Olivia Gard
Ames247 Staff Writer

Jason Reeves, a guitar-strumming singer and songwriter from Iowa City, gained traction in the music industry in 2007 when he introduced “The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales),” an acoustic-pop album that helped him land a record deal with Warner Bros. Records the year after its release.

Reeves also formed a partnership with Colbie Caillat and helped write several songs on her debut album “Coco,” including the popular songs “Bubbly” and “Realize.” “Coco” was released in 2007 and sold 51,000 copies in the first week before climbing to a no. 5 rating on the Billboard 200, according to Caillat’s website. Caillat was later featured in Reeves’s song “No Lies” from his 2011 self-released album “The Lovesick.”

Kirsten Mancosky, freshman in pre-diet and exercise, first noticed Reeves through his extensive work as a songwriter for artists such as Caillat. After finding his music, Mancosky said she was drawn to the uniquely “mellow” and down-to-earth style Reeves employs through his words.

“[I enjoy] the way he expresses himself through the music and the lyrics that he writes. It’s very heartfelt, I feel like, and very relatable too,” Mancosky said.

Reeves’s “fresh, honest approach” to music is a strong factor in helping him win fans, according to his MySpace music page. Veishea will be a good opportunity for Reeves to recruit more fans because it will draw a large variety of people and students, Mancosky noted. The event will be helpful so they can really hear his music instead of just knowing of his name, Mancosky also said.

Collaborating with other artists can help Reeves to build his continually “growing fan base,” said Joseph Smith, open-option sophomore.

Students and community in Ames during Veishea may also be able to connect with Reeves because of his local Iowa background, Smith added.

Smith became interested in Reeves’s music after Didi Benami covered “Terrified,” a song co-written by Reeves and Kara Dioguardi, on American Idol Season 9 in 2010. Reeves was later featured in a duet with Katharine McPhee for her version of “Terrified” on McPhee’s album “Unbroken.”

Since discovering Reeves through those other artists, Smith said he has been touched by the singer’s “phenomenal” performance talent, which he witnessed firsthand when Reeves performed at Iowa State’s M-Shop in 2011.

Anna Preston, senior in sociology, said she heard of Reeves after seeing the Veishea lineup. She then discovered his collaborations with Caillat, which has helped her “appreciate his talent as a singer/songwriter.”

“I just recently found his music, and that has more to do with Colbie Caillat,” Preston said. “Jason and Colbie worked together on a lot of her music, so that is what initially led me to him.”

Preston said she is not yet a huge fan, but thinks he will be a “wonderful addition” to Veishea.

Reeves released the single “Sticks and Stones” in July 2011. He then released “The Lovesick,” a collection of 11 songs the online iTunes review called “unapologetically pop-centric” with an “acoustic guitar-based foundation.”

His most recent production, the EP “Caged Birds Set Free,” was released in November 2011. According to its iTunes review, the instrumentals and earnest poetry in the album “further reveals the singer/songwriter as a hopeless romantic.” His music is available to buy on iTunes.com. Reeves will perform for Veishea week’s Live @ Veishea lineup Friday.