Jonah Tolchin is an old soul. There is heart and emotion baked into his music like southern red clay in the heat of a high summer sun. The music throbs like a heartbeat pumping blood and coursing through your body. It is all encompassing and inspiring to listen to this man’s music time after time and his new record, “Clover Lane” is no different.
A bit more of a boastful and broad sound to this record than previous perhaps (at least in the capacity I am used to hearing Jonah), the heart and center of it all is Tolchin’s irreplaceable and unmistakable voice. A bit of grit and crackle like a campfire. It’s beautiful and hardened at the same time. Even with the fuller arrangements and gorgeous playing on this record, your ear is pulled into his voice and you hear every word. Jonah has always had that glint of the blues in his work. Watching him solo with his guitar, the influence of pickers like Robert Johnson on his playing is undeniable and that influence is on full display here.
“Hey Baby” is a sauntering, waltz around the room-meets-old blues number reminiscent of the aforementioned fact. When Jonah proclaims “Hey baby, lay your pretty hair back”, he pulls that final note out in this authentic and sincere manner that well, if you are of the female persuasion, you are going to lay your pretty hair back.
The album also has hints of country and folk as well as displayed in tracks like “Midnight Train” with its soaring fiddle and call out type harmonies when Tolchin and friends call out “maybe I don’t care, maybe I love you / aint nothing but a thousand miles gonna tell me the truth”. It breaths some raucous life and wonderful variety to the album as a whole.
Then you have songs with an irrefutable groove and dirty southern blues style like “Hybrid Automobile” with its overdriven tones across the board and gritty sonic quality. Really a beautiful balance between harshness and light that makes for a rambunctious and killer track.
On the other end of the spectrum “I’ll Be Gone” is a slow picker with Tolchin’s voice shining bright as it does so well. His songwriting also shines in this track with clever one liners that have me going “man, I wish I thought of that first”.
“I’m taking everything that shines / lasso the moon, I made her mine”
Jonah never has and I don’t think ever will disappoint me with his music. His passion and care for his songs is evident in this new work and rubs off on the listener as a result. Another beautiful collection of music from a beautiful soul and good friend. It has variety, it has emotion, and its just a fantastic album that should be added to your record shelf (or iPod) immediately. Be sure you check this record out.
OH YEAH! JONAH WILL BE CLUB PASSIM TOMORROW (6/25) WITH A BUNCH OF FRIENDS. GO SEE HIM AND BUY THE RECORD LIVE!
Stream it whole you can over at Paste!
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2014/06/album-stream-jonah-tolchin—clover-lane.html
And don’t stop there…buy it too!