Jack Horton’s ‘Imperfections’ Turns Life’s Rough Edges into Music
A new EP of raw honesty, hard-won wisdom, and one classic cover
Pianist and songwriter Jack Horton returns with his second EP in a year. Titled Imperfections, the five-track release blends personal storytelling with polished, genre-spanning musicianship—and features four original songs alongside a bold reinterpretation of a Jim Croce classic.
The EP is being released gradually, with one song dropping each month from April to August. It opens with “Set Me Free,” a piano-led anthem of release and self-discovery inspired by Horton’s own divorce. “I’m grateful for my divorce,” he says. “Without it, I’d never have written Set Me Free, which is about loving someone enough to let them go.”
Next is the vibrant pop-country cut “String Around My Finger,” in which Horton sings of choosing love over the lure of Nashville. The lyrics include heartfelt nods to his musical heroes: “I’m playin’ covers at ol’ Joe’s every Wednesday night / Elton John, Johnny Cash, and a little John Prine.”
In a rare move, Horton covers Jim Croce’s 1972 hit “Operator”, reimagining it with fresh instrumentation and a modern emotional lens. “As a songwriter, I never thought I’d cover someone else,” he admits, “but I wanted to bring something new to this song.”
The duet “Never Know Why,” performed with his partner and longtime musical collaborator Vesper Stockwell, adds further depth. The EP closes with a newly recorded version of 2023’s “Space and Time,” a contemplative song about emotional distance and the unspoken end of a relationship.
Imperfections follows Horton’s earlier 2024 EP The Tokyo Sessions, a four-song Japanese-language project written while living abroad. That release is set to be formally promoted in Japan from mid-2025.
Born in Oregon, Horton moved to Tokyo in his teens, supporting himself through law school by performing in piano bars. After a successful run as a lawyer, government official, and tech CEO, he made a full-circle return to songwriting. A classically trained pianist, his music now bridges narrative depth with emotional clarity—balancing professional polish with heartfelt vulnerability.
