The romance of abandoning stability for art continues to work as a narrative, although in the 2020s it already sounds with a noticeable tinge of nostalgia. Carver Jones fits into this tradition almost textbook-style: a $10,000 basketball scholarship rejected, tickets purchased, friends gathered, a route through American cities mapped out. Travel as a method of understanding musical geography, absorbing local scenes, experiments with style and technique—all of this was supposed to result in something significant. The result was the AMERICAN DREAMERS trilogy, bound by a single R&B core, receiving approval from the Omaha Arts & Entertainment Awards and concluding with a third volume of five tracks.

It’s hard to say at what moment Jones realized music would become his priority. Judging by his biography, the decision matured back in college—the route for the subsequent journey was planned there as well. The logic is simple: refuse a predictable athletic future, take a guitar and set off through cities, accumulating experience through performances at different venues. It sounds like the plan of a person who is either absolutely confident in their talent or young enough not to think about the risks. However, the strategy worked—at least in the sense that Jones completed the trilogy and received local recognition. The question is how much this path was reflected in the music itself, and whether that very diversity of cities, streets, and scenes he passed through is audible in the final volume.

The third volume contains five compositions built around coastal imagery and guitar-driven R&B. Jones works with recognizable elements—oceanic metaphors, sunset parties, cocktails, and romantic intrigues—but attempts to avoid outright superficiality through structural experiments and shifts in dynamic registers. Did he succeed? Let’s examine it track by track.

The first track, “DOG TAG,” immediately plunges me into waves of enveloping, penetrating vocals against a backdrop of guitar overflows. Slightly husky dream pop spreads goosebumps across the skin, enveloping in stylish black velvet. It pulsates, develops, permeating the music with masterful R&B. Classic R&B poured into crystal glasses of voice, seasoned with guitar overflows of light. At the end, a gorgeous guitar solo comes in place of the voice, resembling the sound of a wave. It completes the track, creating a pleasant slow aftertaste. I definitely didn’t expect the track to end this way. It’s amazing how masterfully Carver Jones combined assertive rhythm with melodiousness.

The second track, “COCAINE BLONDE,“ washed over me with a refreshing wave of guitar to transport me into the thick of a beach party with sharp, assertive guitars. Here Carver Jones‘s voice already loses its leading role, playing second fiddle to the guitars, while the rhythm takes on a tense, light, playful character. A bit of cocktails, sun, sea.

The next track, “WHITE UMBRELLA,” surprised me with ballad coolness spreading across the skin after sunset. A tender, relaxing track where the soloist’s voice slightly interrupts the guitars, calming, reminding of quiet, peaceful happiness. The drive of the chorus won’t let you relax, inviting you into a sea of guitar waves. This is dynamics. A somewhat strange relaxation. Something that awakens the best memories, romance, strength. At the end, a juicy guitar solo awaits you, completing the track unexpectedly.

“OVERNIGHT“ turned out to be a dreamy R&B ballad, but don’t rush to relax. It’s gentle only at the beginning, and in the chorus a deep, turbulent whirlpool awaited me. An optimistic night where they move from dreams to action. There’s a lot of persistence here, live monologue, transparent R&B with invigorating guitars leaving no chance for relaxation.

Vol.3 concludes with “AMERiCAN WAStELAND“ – dancing R&B, cheerful, incredibly fiery with ragged rhythm, assertive music. Here I was covered by a real starfall of silvery guitar overflows, saturated backing with a retro touch, complementing the soloist’s voice. The ending turned out triumphant like the closing of a film festival. Thunderous applause, assertive music put a brilliant period. This is no longer a club party, but a real festival drowning in the fire of fireworks, sequins, shine.

The main question this EP leaves behind: where is Carver Jones heading? The third volume of the trilogy was supposed to provide an answer, to establish an artistic position, but instead it multiplies questions. Jones knows how to work with melody, he has a sense of dynamics and understanding of modern production. But I have a feeling that this part, unlike the previous ones, is geared toward the masses: for lovers of classic R&B, fans of guitar rock, and those who want to dance to disco rhythms. As a result, the Vol 3. turned out too compromised.

And yet it would be unfair to deny that there are moments of genuine interest here. When Jones stops looking back at references and allows himself to follow intuition—as in that guitar solo from “DOG TAG” or in the dynamic shifts of “OVERNIGHT”—the music gains conviction. AMERICAN DREAMERS, Vol. 3 completes the trilogy not with an exclamation mark, but with an ellipsis. Jones has proven that he’s capable of creating professionally sounding material, but the question of what exactly he wants to say with this music remains open. Perhaps the next release will provide an answer.

Overall, the EP turned out to be a brilliant story about a journey to the ocean shore, where a special life unfolds to the splashing of waves. In the language of R&B, each track reveals a story of vacation, shine, cocktails, love, seasoned with the clinking of glasses, beach parties, encounters on the shore. I drowned in the waves of surf, coastal lights, cocktails, sparkles. This is a real show that everyone should see, especially in the gloomy embrace of December when light is so lacking.

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