Wednesday, June 24, 2020

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JONT - THANK YOU FOR THE MEDICINE

Jont always has a big message, finding a place of peace in a crazy world. As things have got bigger and crazier, the Halifax-based British troubadour has reacted appropriately, making that message bigger and clearer, for those searching for personal peace in dramatic times. His acoustic music has exploded in all manner of ways. There are big choirs of voices, beats, strings, textures, and a bunch more joy infused throughout.

It's hard to resist the synth burbles and big choral hugs of "Surrounded By Love," Jont and the gang reminding us "Surrounded by love, it's such a simple recipe." But he doesn't have blinders on, acknowledging all the heavy feelings and failures to overcome: "We're going to be told a load of lies/how to be scared and how to close our eyes/we've been led by villains and fools/it's time to leave 'em behind, there's work to do." There are a couple of string-and-piano numbers about the individual power of love, but the bulk of the album is devoted to pumping you up, on both a personal and global citizen level. They do the trick; if we ever get back to live shows, this is festival rave material.

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