Although it is tagged as an EP, The Jackson Line's new release "California"is almost really a double EP, clocking in with bumper 7 tracks over 24 minutes. it has a certain swagger and quality about it that could easily earn it the title of being a mini album. It's been a while in the coming and some of the songs date back to our first encounter with The Jackson Line as a three piece acoustic outfit, pre covid in Camden at The Round Up.
The amount of time passing between song creation and committing to a final recorded version has given The Jackson Line time to really get to know these songs and these are undoubtedly the finest possible versions, created with long term band influence Murray Pulver at the production controls. It all goes to make a pretty compelling collection of tunes that any band would be rightly proud of.
The opening song is the title track and a swathe of guitars over a powerful back beat and additional keyboards really kick things off in style. It is the tale of someone trying to escape the fall out of a breakup
"I just keep thinking about the things I should have said
But i just never found the time"
The solution is found in the chorus
"Maybe I'll go to California - where the ocean meets the sky
I many not find what I'm looking for- but at least I can leave this all behind"
This is a big expansive sound and the Jackson Line make full use of it with what feels like layers of vocals.
The second verse is full of truisms
"You can't live your life full of regret
It won't be no help on the road ahead
Sometimes you've got to draw a line in the sand
Cos what is gone is gone for good"
The organ sound adds such a layer of richness to the overall proceedings and exactly complements the excellent guitar work.
"Shade Of The Pines" is a perfectly fine song in The Jackson Line live set, however making full uses of the assets at their disposal - this recorded version adds some sparkling keyboards, that transform it into something totally different, without losing the spirit of the original.
There is also a powerful back beat, that either sounds like or is assisted by some additional clapping and some extra voices in the mix only add to the party atmosphere going on. Who could disagree with the sentiment of the song at the moment?
"I've had enough of the stone cold winter
I've had enough of being stuck inside"
The perfect country rock of "Gonna Get To you" is surely what the Eagles would have sounded like had they but come from Essex. A glorious opening supplemented by multiple guitar riffs
"Well I could hear the phone ringing from the drive
and I couldn't help but smile
Cos there's only one person that it could be
But i could tell by her tone, there was something wrong
She said "You got to get on the road
If you got any chance to get to me"
It's a simple set up, yet the chorus captures the urgency and devotion required to meet that request. Once more the harmonies are perfectly captured making this tune pretty much impossible not to like.
"I don't care if it takes all night - I'm going to get to you"
One song that has been floating around The Jackson Line repertoire for a while now is "Brave", mainly due to the band wanting to make sure that the recorded version did it justice. It sits at the exact centre of the album and is undoubtedly the records summit The original live introduction to this song did come with a darkly comedic introduction, that lightened the mood before the drama unfolded -it was always a great song however it is only since hearing the recorded version that the true brilliance of it has really been allowed to shine.
Effectively we are zooming in on the most pivotal part of a couples relationship, making it even worse is that one of the parties has been completely blindsided. The opening instrumentation is almost muted, the guitar all but cries in the background. This is high drama and the stakes could not be higher.
"I knew we've been going a little off track
But I always thought we could get it back
Now here you are standing in front of me
Saying that you want to go
That you've known for so long
But how was I to know, anything was wrong?
Jamie Cook's vocals beautifully delivered, capture that heady mix of feelings, the sense of hurt, surprise and no doubt anger.
The powerful chorus comes in response to an ill chosen word used as some sort of mitigation
"Don't tell me that it's Brave, to say "I'm sorry but I'm leaving"
Don't tell me that it's Brave to stay when your heart's already gone
If you were Brave you'd have tried to save this love a long time ago
Don't tell me that it's Brave to say "I'm sorry, I'm leaving you today"
The end of the first verse sees the band kick in a little more
"Must've been hard to admit the truth
So why don't you put yourself in my shoes?
The end of the second chorus gives us time to take a step back and absorb what has happened - a guitar solo fills the vacuum, the loud crashing drums could easily double for the sound of things being thrown. Musically things eventually calm and the consequences of the last few minutes are brought sharply into focus
"Have you even thought about what happens now?
How do we tell the kids and who gets the house?
Here you are standing in front of with a bag in each hand
And you can say anything to help me to understand"
The final chorus is a musical explosion much like the relationship exploding before our very eyes
""Don't tell me that it's Brave, to say "I'm sorry but I'm leaving"
Cos I'll tell you that it's Brave, to stay and try to fix what's wrong
If you were Brave you'd have tried to save this love instead of saying "Goodbye"
Don't tell me that it's Brave to say "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving
I'm sorry,but I'm leaving, I'm sorry,but I'm leaving you today"
The undoubted strength of the song is that is so real - The events have been played out across the world many times over, each time leaving a trail of destruction. The Jackson Line waited for some years to commit this to a definitive version and they have done themselves and the song proud with this rendition - easily one of the best recorded Americana songs of recent years!!
The job of lightening the mood comes to "Get Over You", musically it certainly does that with a bright acoustic guitar opening even if the lyrics are still a little dark.
"I know what you are thinking - I'm crying on the floor
Crushed up and broken, half the man I was before
But i learned the hard way there's no easy way through
You got to ride the wild river, swim in the ocean blue"
The chorus has an almost gospel feel to it, with the combination of voices, it certainly is uplifting.
"It's gonna take time time time time to get over you
Made up my mind mind mind, that's what I'm going to do
In the morning, when I want it, well it won't be with you"
The second verse is about moving on and vowing never go back over a bridge that been burned
"Don't hit me up late at night when the lowliness sets in
Because baby there's a hundred reasons why I'll just let it ring"
Any negativity seems to be channelled into more positive thoughts
"I know there will come a time when I meet my future wife
I'll make sure to write and thank you for every way it hurt
Cos it led me straight to her"
With exceptional guitar work throughout matched by equally strong harmonies, the whole mood of the record is once again lifted even if we had to endure a bit of heartache to get there.
If "Brave" is the most powerful song on the release than "The Day I Held You" is the most personal.and the one song that has it's own distinct sound, with just the the gentlest of guitar work joining front man Keith Porter as he plays out key parts of his life.
We start with loss and searching before finding the answer very close to where it all started.
"Every time we kissed she had to get up on tiptoes
Didn't know what I was looking for that sure was pretty close"
The success of the song lies in it's simplicity, it's honesty and the attention to detail on the harmonies of the chorus. It would be easy to veer of into schmaltz instead the listener joins in the emotions being shared.
"You came into this world on a sunny afternoon
The highest highs, the lowest lows
All started in that room, And i remember thinking
As I held you skin to skin -
Didn't know what I was looking for but maybe this was it."
Closing things out in a rootsy Rolling Stones, riff heavy way is "Feelings Gone"
"Well she came in like a whirlwind, took my breath away
and all the missing pieces just fell into place"
The full band kick n and it seems we may be in for a happy ending - but this is The Jackson Line!
"But the cracks started showing,
Alarm bells were ringing
I sank back into my shell
Stuck on a runaway train wondering
Can I save myself?"
The chorus is an all out rocking finale that captures the emotions of the man on the couch in the cover picture with nothing but a bottle for company - it is a tale of despair with the sadness in the lyrics a total counterpoint to the rocking tune kicking off around us, with once again keyboards to the fore and multiple voices making it damned entertaining.
"I know that the feeling's gone - I know that it's all gone wrong
I can't keep rolling on, yes I know, the feeling's gone"
Seven songs recorded with a true vision, dedication and a fine attention to detail - I'm not sure that when The Jackson Line set off to Canada, they ever envisaged a record sounding quite this good. They knew they had a quality batch of songs that had road tested over the years and they chanced their arm to get their producer of choice. This combination has brought out the best in both parties - undoubtedly an unqualified success.