Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The world is facing a storm, one perhaps that has arguably not been faced for as long as the vast majority of us have ever been alive, the dilemma of the path being taken, the ship of fools that are leading us into the damned unknown and making us the scapegoats for their decisions. It is no wonder that in such a period of uncertainty we find ourselves believing that the individual and collective soul has been placed in a Straightjacket, that our hands are tied, and our thoughts constricted.
If only we had politicians that were as honest as the artist, that didn’t care about the pay-off and the lining of their own over stuffed wallet, one that finds a way to loosen, then destroy the feeling of restricted growth, unshackling the emotions as an artist will and letting the human spirit flourish. However, as is such the will of those who seek such power and ego driven authority, the straight jacket seems to get just that little tighter each day and it takes artists such as Jeremiah Johnson to aid us in the fight, who understands through sheer graft and persistence, that with every moment in the sun, must come the darkness to put it in perspective, that for each time we sense we fail, in fact it should serve as a reminder of just how far we can climb.
The battle scars are visible to the listener who seeks out such enlightenment beyond the triumphs of the St. Louis skyline and the shining of the Mississippi Delta, the purity involved and held up as an example on the glory of the original American Rock ‘n’ Roll, one that does not care where you come from, only that your thoughts and musical expression is passionate and steeped in your own historic wars and thoughts of peace.
In tracks such as the album’s sensational opener, Straightjacket, Blues In Her Eyes, Believe In America, the excellent King & Queen, 9th And Russell and Bonneville Shuffle, the Mike Zito produced album, sees Mr. Johnson wear his emotions, his big heart, not just his sleeve but almost as an indelible tattoo over his body and the guitar, of which purrs with both pleasure and growls in resistance. It is exhaustingly beautiful and when set within the framework of collaboration in the Mars Studio with Frank Bauer on sax and vocals, Benet Schaeffer on drums and Tom Maloney on bass, is all you can demand in life; sheer and unrelenting honesty.
An album of grace, of ownership, of being able to influence a person’s thoughts without corruption or dominance in mind, the Straightjacket in the hands of Jerimiah Johnson is not one to inhibit the actions of the many, but to desist the actions of the damned in charge.
Jeremiah Johnson’s Straightjacket is released via Ruf Records on August 24th.
Ian D. Hall