Josh Nelson's radiant piano and Mark Shapiro's crisply played guitar on "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" summarize the classy arrangements and tasteful production that characterize vocalist Jonathan Karrant's latest album, On and On.

A cover of the James Taylor classic, "Don't Me Be Lonely Tonight" is among the highlights on this engaging collection of remakes. The key to the record's success is Karrant's voice - romantic without being cloying, warm but not forced. Karrant carries these songs with an emotional weight that, at times, make it seem as if he had written them himself. Just listen to Karrant's jazzy makeover of the Beatles' eternally beautiful "In My Life" and hear the yearning in his singing.

For Karrant, music has been an integral part of his daily existence since childhood; no late bloomer, he already realized his future before grade school. "I always knew I wanted to be an entertainer," Karrant revealed. "At age 6 I had my first solo at church. I became very involved with theatre; however, by age 20 I realized that singing was most important to me and put all my energy into music." But passion is only the first step for a beginning artist. Karrant had to learn how to use his tools, sharpen them, and there is none perhaps greater than experience itself. "I did have training in church and in school. I took private vocal coaching with the Seth Riggs method, and with big ears growing up, listening to masters, looking up interviews, and hearing what they had to say about their experiences," Karrant recalled. "However, a lot of what I've learned about singing a song has just come with time and my own experience, singing to audiences night after night."

The composers who grace his album may have originated from diverse sources, but they share an affinity for storytelling. "I have always been drawn to songs with wonderful, interesting melodies and amazing, timeless lyrics that tell stories," Karrant said.

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