Jonathon Long

Discovering the fact that the album was produced by Samantha Fish definitely pricked my attention – I have long been a fan of her music and seeing her involved here suggested that the project would be worth a listen.

The result is that I am now a fan of Jonathon Long as well – this is a fine example of Southern rock with a strong Blues tinge to it.

Long has a great voice with wide range and strong accent but unlike many of his contemporaries he is able to sing softly as well as belting out the big numbers. He is also a pretty damn good guitarist with strong chops and some fiery soloing.
He is ably supported by Julian Civello (drums), Chris Roberts (Bass), Phil Breen (Keys) and Samantha Fish plays guitar on a couple of tracks as well.

What really struck me about this album is his songwriting: 11 tracks in many different styles and all of them strong. There really isn’t any filler here and with tracks such as ‘Bury Me’ – the album opener – which has a dark and intense feel to it or the jaunty ‘Pour Another Drink’ which almost falls into bar-room Blues territory and meanders like a night on the piss, he really shows some talent.

My favourite is ‘The River’, dark, slow and with a hint of The Band about it, stunning guitar work and with his voice set way back in the mix, it works on many different levels. Then there is the outright rocker ‘This Road’…

A cracker for a Saturday morning.