Second album from Jawbone and it is absolutely gorgeous.
I hesitate to use the word ‘supergroup’ but Jawbone are absolutely a super group comprised of four like minded musicians, all stalwarts of the scene and heard in – literally – hundreds of recordings, playing together just because they like the company of friends and the sounds that they make together.
The band are Marcus Bonfanti, Paddy Milner, Rex Horan, Evan Jenkins – all of them go to guys for many headline musicians (Marcus plays lead guitar with Ten Years After, Paddy is playing keyboards with Tom Jones in Vegas, Rex plays bass and even sousaphone for dozens of artists and Evan plays with Rex in the Neil Cowley Trio as well as sessions).
With influences as wide ranging as Little Feat, The Beatles, The Faces, Patto, The Band, Allen Toussaint and CSNY, they have a mature and complex sound, full of sublime harmonies and memorable melodies. The songs are superb, and the playing matches them.
One of the things that really appealed to me is the organic nature of their music. Chatting to Marcus and Paddy revealed that the songs come together as the four collaborate as a group, testing melodies and harmonies together in Marcus’ home in East London, constant input of coffee on hand. There is a great sense of the four guys having fun as equals and approaching the project without worrying about egos or prima donna tendencies.
The whole album was recorded live in the studio with as few overdubs as possible (Paddy had to overdub the organ because he couldn’t reach both organ and piano in the studio).
It is mature music, and I found myself getting deeper and deeper into the music the more I listened. There are layers to be investigated as well as a whole.
One of the best albums I’ve heard this year, a definite contender for my top ten of the year.
