jason soudah

Uplifting piano pop

The new mini-album from up-and-coming talent Jason Soudah offers up a tasty slice of piano pop, with the splendid title track ’Six Hours’ drawing you in nicely with a delicate hook before hitting you with its rousing chorus. Upcoming single, ’Roses,’ is also a cracker of a track. A scarily heartfelt big ballad, it’s something along the vein of a Goo Goo Dolls arms-in-the-air song, but even if you don’t like overwrought pop it’s done so expertly and is so damn melodic that you can’t help but fall for its charms. Soudah’s voice is impressive too, drawing you towards his often clever, observational lyrics. Next time it would be nice to see him go the whole enchilada and release a full album. Though several heads have been turning, Soudah hasn’t cracked Britain yet. However, if there’s justice in this world, his emotive pop will be knocking James Blunt out of the charts before you can say 1973. - Irish World

Jason Soudah
Mini Album - Six Hours

This is a crackin' little work by singer/songwriter/musician Jason Soudah; 'Six Hours', in just five tracks, pretty much gives you the big picture of this talented young man. Big balladic songs, great lyrics, superb musicianship and excellent production all make 'Six Hours' a 'must have' work.

Soudah seems to specialise in hauntingly melodic verses and big hooky choruses and his, often breathy, vocal delivery and intonation make this wonderfully easy work to take in. Soudah also has the good sense to surround himself with a great bunch of similarly dextrous and emotionally charged musicians who don't just play with sympathy but empathy. The end result is pretty stunning!

Soudah is an amazing keyboard specialist and with his gentle but precise playing he enhances his songs with great feeling; Soudah lets the gaps, the silence, work just as strongly for the songs as the beautifully proportioned notes - very classy, very professional! 'Six Hours' has everything going for it and has a pretty much 'timeless' feel. 'Dive With Me', 'Six Hours', 'Wallowing', 'Roses' and 'Breaking' make up this exquisite work and one thing's for sure, Jason Soudah cannot be accused of simply 'wallowing' in his own little musical world - Soudah's songs are accessible, meaningful, tangible and definitely radio friendly. I can see no reason at all why Jason Soudah shouldn't become a household name with his beautiful songs and stunning presentation.

'Six Hours' by Jason Soudah is a superb mini album - I don't know why he stopped at just five songs - maybe time constraints, maybe financial considerations, maybe both but, I bet you this guy's got a shed load of similarly classy songs in his repertoire - look out for Jason Soudah, I think he'll be getting plenty of air-play based on this excellent offering. - toxicpete.co.uk

Whatever happened to folk from Barnsley? Are you not allowed to get a record deal these days without a captivating back story? Do you have to be a one kidney adoptee in order to get press? If so, poor Jason Soudah is going to struggle. He's only a Welsh based, Japanese born Irish / Cypriot acoustic singer songwriter. So what chance does he have?

A precocious child who won a music scholarship at age 12 for his piano playing, the lure of a guitar and rock music proved to much, and he formed a five-piece band at University who made quite an impression on the local Cardiff music scene. But, being in a band wasn't where his heart lay, so it was off to solo stardom via incidental music for Japanese films and documentaries. He's been busy playing the British toilet circuit but has still found time for America, playing sets at SXSW and World Café Live in Philadelphia, in addition to gigs in Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, and New York City.

Following on from an earlier album which came out a couple of years back, this release is a five track EP of rather splendid, melodic pop songs, which BBC Radio 2 seem rather keen on. So, I think you know where we are. Firmly in the realms of the James Blunts and Newton Faulkners of this world. But good! Heartfelt, plaintive, emotive songs about being a bit girly, but piano, rather than acoustic guitar, led, each one rich in melody.

He seems a bit unsure as to who he wants to be yet, as opening number "Dive With Me" heads straight down the route marked Snow Patrol and Starsailor. Something Which Is Bad. But he can also wheech out an absolute diamond of a song called "Roses," which deserves to be on repeat play from here to eternity. Sure, it's big ballad territory, but when it's done this well, then we're all entitled to feel momentarily moist.

It's a good sounding, well produced EP, courtesy of producer Romesh Dodangoda who has worked with Kids in Glasshouses, The Blackout, and Dopamine. Jason has a cracking voice which really sells his songs, oozing with passion for what he's doing, and an excellent way with words, something that keeps you listening intently, in case you miss a lyrical gem. If he gets the radio push that lesser mortals have had, we could be hearing a lot of him in days to come. - BlogCritics Magazine

Memories of the Past Stirred by Dreamy Melodies

Reminiscence Therapy

By Martin Croucher


When singer-songwriter Jason Soudah got the chance to use his formidable piano skills with insights he had gained through studying psychology he admits he was astonished by the results.

The Japan-born 27-year-old starting playing the instrument when he was just four and recently left a doctorate program in psychology after one semester to make a go of it as a professional musician.

However, he said that one of the most rewarding things he has done was in providing music to help in reminiscence therapy—a technique to help Alzheimer’s sufferers recover lost memories.

He said that he was approached by family friends in Japan to provide instrumental piano music to be used in 30-minute videos of photos and scenes designed to trigger dormant memories.

He said: "Sometimes they show films with photographs [of memorable events] that people will have experienced throughout their lives, and stuff they can relate to. There are also people who make personal reminiscence films composed of things like personal photographs.

"It has been shown that combining music with the films has been more effective in restoring people’s memories.

"Music can reach parts of the brain that other forms of communication can’t reach, even in more advanced stages of dementia. It’s a way of getting through to Alzheimer’s sufferers. It also helps to relax them and improve their mental stability and emotional health."

He added: "I always wanted to do something with music that could be really beneficial. This was an opportunity for me to do something with music. It has a profound healing side to it.

"It was really interesting for me too because I didn’t know anything about reminiscence therapy before this."

Reminiscence therapy is not just orientated around visual cues such as short videos, but can involve presenting individuals with ornaments, music, or smells that capture old memories.

The therapy is an extension of the idea that reminiscing in our daily lives helps us deal with personal traumas by adding context to the things that happen to us.

He added: "I just played along with some of the images that were on the screen. The music was quite soothing and dreamy, in many ways similar to the music that I use in my own songs."

An FAQ on the British Medical Journal Web site said that reminiscence therapy was still an area of contention: "There is some evidence to show that reminiscence therapy helps people with dementia. But we need to see a lot more before we can know for certain that it helps."

Besides providing background tracks to reminiscence videos Soudah is currently gigging in Cardiff and London and preparing to release his first single ’Roses’ through an independent label.

For more information visit his Web site is http://www.myspace.com/jasonsoudah

- Epoch Times

Sound of Eastern promise
by Greg Tindle, South Wales Echo

SINGER songwriter Jason Soudah is busy making a name for himself on the pop scene, using his talents to win over fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

But, away from the clubs and bright lights, Jason has taken up a new role playing to a completely different audience – those with Alzheimer’s.

The young Cardiff musician, who took up the piano when he was just four years old, has been commissioned to write a series of tunes to illustrate films to help those with dementia.

Jason’s soundtracks are being used by Japanese health workers, who have produced up to 15 films showing the traditional way of life as part of reminiscence therapy for patients.

For Jason, this combination of making music to help others comes as a natural progression from his days at Cardiff University, where he took a degree in psychology and then went on to gain his Phd studying the human memory.

The link with Japan comes from childhood days. Jason was born there and spent the first 10 years of his life in the country while his father worked in the Far East banking industry. He can also speak Japanese.

"With my interest in the mind and memory and my career in music, creating these dream-like soundtracks for people with Alzheimer’s seemed a very worthwhile project – and I’d like to do more of it," said 27-year-old Jason.

And it didn’t take Jason long to put together the soundtracks, creating 15 themes in just two days.

"I have been playing the piano for so long that once I got started I just connected with the film and the rest was improvisation," he explained.

The use of music and sing songs to help dementia patients is not new and has regularly been used in hospitals and nursing homes to help stimulate those with the progressive and often cruel condition.

But to compose special music to accompany film is a relatively new concept and, according to Jason, is gradually gaining acceptance in Western medicine and he’s more than willing to lend his musical talent to help any new project.

"It’s been said that the piano is the most therapeutic instrument of all and provides the sound that can provide calm as well as stimulate," he said.

"The piano can match the heartbeat, change hormone levels, affect the emotions and provide an energy boost. For patients with Alzheimer’s this effect can elicit positive actions, triggering memories as music can be an alternative form of communication."

The films and Jason’s mood music are also proving a hit on Japanese TV, where they are popular with the carers of people with Alzheimer’s.

"To a certain degree they are designed to help people get a break from their caring duties while the patient watches and listens to what is on the screen," he said.

Pursuing his more mainstream music career, Jason and his backing group are performing this Saturday at Cardiff’s 10 Feet Tall at 8pm and on April 17 in Clwb Ifor Bach at 9pm.

For more information visit the website www.jasonsoudah.com - South Wales Echo

Preview: Jason Soudah

by Gavin Allen, South Wales Echo

Traveling minstrel Jason Soudah may have been born in Japan, but he's now firmly rooted in Cardiff. The singer-songwriter releases his piano-driven debut EP, Six Hours. GAVIN ALLEN caught up with him to ask him a few questions about it

You've got a fair few stamps on your passport, so how did end up in Wales?

I've lived in quite a few different countries; Japan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, England and now Wales. I came to Cardiff in 1998 to go to university and stayed ever since. I had a couple of years in London in between but I came back to Cardiff last summer. I've got a bit of Welsh in me too because I say 'is it' a lot!

What was it like growing up in Tokyo?

Tokyo was a great city to grow up in, very safe and very honest. It's the type of place you could leave your bike without chaining it up and if you dropped your wallet it would come back to you the next day. Generally the crime there is organised, but fortunately I kept all my piano fingers.

How long have you been playing the piano?

I started playing in Japan when I was four. I had asked my parents if I could do it but they had trouble finding a tutor to take me on at that age because they don't normally take boys until they're seven. I had lessons up until I was 13 or so when I got a scholarship to a specialist school where I got piano tuition free from a professional concert pianist.

Do you remember the first song you wrote?

It was called Nightmare and it was a really simple bass line repeated over and over. I was very much into Michael Jackson at the time so it probably had a few 'oohs' and 'ahhs' and the odd 'yee hee' in it. I wish I had a recording of it. - South Wales Echo