Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
If everything has been done before, then why do we as a species continue and persevere to attain a new high in the application of performance art and bringing stories to life in every form possible? The answer is arguably astonishingly simple, it only appears as though everything has been accomplished, for whilst humanity has the ability to imagine and to experience the world in different ways, there will always be a call to hear the life story of the northern woman, and the Parables of a Southern Man.
Strength comes from recognising that even in the minutest change, we are creating something unique, and that the idea of history repeating itself is only for the political ethos, and not for the ones who see their soul as exploring and conjuring with the distinctive patterns of our mind and experiences.
In Parables of a Southern Man, Jonathon Long progression is seen to be rapid; already a virtuoso, he has quickly gained the sincere reputation often afforded the likes of Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Henry Turner, the much-missed Walter Hyatt or even John Prine. The dynamic of his playing is intricately beautiful and outlandishly devil may care irreplaceable, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to the listener that the songs catch them unawares and yet fully formed as one might see a caterpillar find itself awestruck in the mirror when it sees itself as a butterfly for the first time.
Produced by the now legendary Samantha Fish, Jonathon Long’s Parables of a Southern Man sees tracks such as The Ride, My Kind Of Woman, Landline, Saviour’s Face, My Kind of Crazy, Cheap Romance and Jenny take on the role of the storyteller, a corncob pipe perhaps sitting lazily on the lips, but the expression is full of wonder, of the secrets of the man being allowed to trip off the tongue as he applauds the guitar for keeping the bond between mind and soul, watertight, indestructible and natural.
The American spirit unfolds as the songs grace the air, not one of 21st Century angst and bitterness, but one that fully acknowledges the meaning and the force in the time it is written. In Saviour’s Face for example, the sense of misjudgement by those who profess a higher appreciation for the religious iconography and closeness to their god is played out with extreme care and beauty, whilst all the time damning the society which pleads godliness when it cannot even recognise goodness.
Parables of a Southern Man is an extraordinary piece of work, one to celebrated and enjoyed immensely.
Jonathon Long releases Parables of a Southern Man on July 2nd via Wild Heart Records.
Ian D. Hall