Larry Jay "Heaven"

Country-pop artist Larry Jay returns with his latest single, “Heaven”. The man has been releasing music non-stop since late 2020, and by the looks of it he’s not planning to slow down any time soon.

The New York native, currently residing in California, is an active performer on his Facebook page where he constantly interacts with fans. He’s also an avid volunteers at local VA Hospitals and addiction recovery centers, which plays a lot into his music which he claims he writes and performs in order "To set my soul free."

“Heaven” opens on some clean acoustic guitars, with very comforting synths along for the ride. Larry Jay’s raspy voice breaks through after that, as he delivers a very relaxed performance that gives the song a laid-back feeling.

The chorus kicks in, with some very nice layering on the vocal performance. It’s mostly a very simple song, with not much being added to the mix, but it doesn’t need to add much more. “Heaven” is an excellent example of how sometimes less can be used to produce a stronger effect.

Simpler arrangements and lighter use of instruments allow the song to have a stronger emphasis on the lyrics being presented, and it’s thanks to this that the emotional message of the song shines through. It also helps that Larry Jay really sells it with his strong but subdued performance.

“Heaven” at its core is a song about the country singer’s wife, where he speaks of a theoretical situation where if he were to die and not go to heaven, he hopes that heaven will at least allow himself to visit his wife every now and then.

It’s a very simple idea, but also one that’s very heartfelt. It’s extremely easy to relate to the feeling of losing a loved one, and we all wish we could see them again. In this case, Larry Jay hopes that even the divide between the afterlife will still let him see his beloved again. It’s sweet and sad, and it makes for a powerful song.

Larry Jay’s latest single once again delivers on the country-pop artist’s pedigree of down to Earth music with meaningful messages. It’s a strong addition to his already solid catalog of music, and one that’s easy to recommend to any fan of country music.

--Jason Airy