Jaron and the Long Road to Love Gets ‘Dressed’ for the ‘Frans’

The much-anticipated album from Jaron and the Long Road to Love hit stores today (June 22). While 'Getting Dressed in the Dark' and its lead-off single, the bitingly hilarious 'Pray for You,' introduce the singer -- who had a successful pop career with twin brother Evan as Evan and Jaron -- to country audiences, Jaron says it was actually quite the other way around: his fans (whom he affectionately calls 'frans' -- a combination of fans and friends) led him in the direction of country music.

Posting 'Pray for You' on his Facebook and MySpace accounts, Jaron employed something of a grass-roots approach and let the fans take control. And that they did -- calling country stations to request the song. The calls have worked, pushing the single into the Top 15 on Billboard's country song chart.

"I've always heard about country music fans and how great they are, how they support artists like crazy," Jaron tells The Boot. "The difference between me and other country artists is that they [the fans] actually made me. I didn't go to a record company or radio stations to get to the fans. I just went there directly. My Facebook and MySpace fans are getting credit for this, for bringing me to the masses. We started this together and are doing this together."

In spite of what the name Jaron and the Long Road to Love may suggest, it's not his band, it's the singer's personal journey which began with the break-up of a romantic relationship and was followed a brief period of depression, after which Jaron found his way back -- through his music.

"It's my story," says the singer. "It's this guy, Jaron, and the story of his journey to find love. At this place in my life, I'm writing about relationships. And unfortunately, more times than not, I've gotten my heart broken. So I'm sharing these stories ... and right now, these stories are about a long road to love. Maybe the next [album] will be 'Jaron and He Found Her'!"

Among the other outstanding tunes on 'Getting Dressed in the Dark' are (go figure!) love songs 'That's Beautiful to Me' and 'Petals Back on the Rose,' the energetic 'Beat Back Love,' and other witty shot at his ex, 'I Hope You Hit Traffic.' There's also the nifty Keith Urban-meets-The Beatles track, 'Meantime Girl' and the soaring, hopeful 'It's a Good Thing.'

With all its intriguing twists and turns, 'Getting Dressed in the Dark' is one memorable and melodic 'Road' trip.

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