Latest reviews:
Julian Jones The Boardwalk, Friday January 23rd
"Some performers wear their musical hearts on their sleeve, singer/songwriter Julian Jones demonstrated his musical direction by wearing his on his head, with a large white Stetson. The look accompanied the music which was of a distinct country flavour but without any of tragedy and doom that often plagues this musical genre. Whilst Julian’s songs did reflect relationships, they all took a fresh and positive approach lyrically, and complimented by some very attractive and sometimes quite sophisticated musical arrangements that resulted in a listenable pop/country mix. Underneath that big hat Julian performed his songs with conviction but at the same time in a variety of moods, whatever the song dictated, even jumping around the stage in some of the more up-beat numbers. Helping to transmit the songs’ appeal on record to the live stage were a well chosen ensemble of musicians, including a three-piece string section all of whom did Julian’s songs justice, playing his arrangements with subtlety and taste."
Margaret Hill
Julian Jones - Nostalgia Blue
Julian Jones follows his debut album, 2005’s One Shoe on and One Shoe Off, with this, his far more assured sophomore effort. The aptly titled Nostalgia Blue proves to be a far more focused, fully rounded affair which finds the South Yorkshire singer/ songwriter finding his voice and hitting his stride.
As one would expect from this self-financed, self-distributing artist, Blue proves to be a highly personal confessional, in which Jones waxes lyrical on everything from the battlefield of tattered relationships to the discontent of a life spent treading water. All Jones asks for is a sympathetic ear, and in return offers up thirteen terrific songs that should appeal to anyone who ever chose to walk their own (difficult) path through this life.
From the off, Jones confides in the listener, imparting to them a lifetime’s worth of victory and defeat, all of it delivered in hopeful resilience that suggest his journey is far from over. For all his startling honesty, however, it is his sound that separates Jones from the crowd. Distilling the Nashville country scene with his beloved hometown Steel City, Jones pulls off the difficult trick of fusing two very different- some would say very disparate- sounds, and melds them together to create something wholly original that feels neither forced nor false. On the contrary, Jones makes the merge appear effortless, his voice slipping comfortably between country lament and that unmistakable British optimism. It’s to his credit that the highs never seem cheap, nor do the lows appear maudlin.
Standout tracks include the wistful opener Night Radio, in which Jones starts as he means to go on by musing- quite beautifully- over a lifetime of regret; the hopeful lullaby of Amazing Dreams, and the stripped down elegance of Night Drive. Special mention must also go to the title track, which here serves as album closer. A kiss-off instrumental, it leaves the singer/ songwriter slumped over a bar, nursing nothing more than a bruised ego and a wicked hangover.
Ultimately, Jones manages to do what all good singer/ songwriters aspire to, in that not only does he take us on an intimate thirteen- track journey, he leaves the listener wondering where he might take us next. A rich, soulful and deeply personal album, Nostalgia Blue comes highly recommended.
- D. Bell
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