When a teenage
Jason Reeves encountered the works of
Bob Dylan and
James Taylor, it set off a chain of events. First he began working on his own songwriting, combining the classic singer/songwriter style with more modern influences like
Radiohead and
Sufjan Stevens. He then dropped out of college and moved from his native Iowa, eventually landing in California. The second person he met upon arrival was future pop star
Colbie Caillat. The two hit it off immediately and it didn't take long for their friendship to turn into a songwriting partnership, one that would create the foundation for
Caillat's hit album
Coco. The songs that weren't reserved for
Coco ended up on
Reeves' EP Hearts Are Magnets, which appeared in 2006 on the Dancing Squirrel label. 2007's citically acclaimed
Magnificent Adventures of Heartache helped
Reeves ink a deal with Warner Bros. the following year. ~ David Jeffries