What is it to be original? To throw out everything that worked before and start anew to grab attention? It worked so well for U2 that they had to return to trite pop tunes to recover their fanbase. How about breathing new life into an existing format? Hell yes, when it comes to the likes of the blues, Tom Petty and Mason Jennings. The latter, on his latest release, goes beyond making fresh the groove we’ve been hearing for years… he toys with the pedantic and makes it grand, cathartic even.
In The Ever is mostly an album about faith. Not that Jennings is proselytizing… it’s a praise album that addresses both the joy of belief and the struggle to transcend. It’s also peppered with a few hit singles, political numbers and regular love songs that Jack Johnson - who appears on the album - would be doing if he would get over that dopey beach bum malaise. Take ‘Never Knew Your Name’… the name and chorus could mislead the casual listener into thinking that it’s about finding the elusive Dream Girl, but it’s Jennings’ tale of a life spent loving the Benevolent Creator and discovering one day that He can be called by name.
It’s far from being filed under ‘Christian Rock’, thankfully. The name itself dignifies what is mere Suck Music about Jesus… this makes life hard for those of us who want something of substance when it comes to the image of the Eternal in art. 100’s of years ago Christ was inspiring the Sistine Chapel and Handel’s Messiah… now it’s Jars of Clay?
And not that Jennings’ beliefs will ever get the Pope’s endorsement, what with ‘I Love You [Jesus] and Buddha Too’, which contrasts the rigid interpretation of the axiom “a man cannot serve two masters”. A closet deist, perhaps? Nevertheless, his is an album not of religious music but music made religiously. Strange that such a simple thing as expressing love and wonderment of Jesus (and other theophanies) can be so stunning, but Jennings’ states it plainly and powerfully without getting weird or alienating an agnostic audience.
And he can swing a good jingle too, lest we forget that life is also about things like sing-alongs, beer and chicks…
The conventional love songs are worthy of Jennings’ most enjoyable material. ’Memphis, Tennessee’ and ‘Your New Man’, remind me of that rare playful side of Bob Dylan that shines on tunes like ‘If You Got to Go, Go Now’, apropos of Jennings’ deft contributions to I’m Not There. ‘Fighter Girl’ is the album’s big single, and is a little too contrived for my taste, but I would probably like it fine were it not destined to be on every Mix CD For [New Girlfriend's Name] of ‘08.
As expected from Mason Jennings, that mid-range voice w/ just a hint of asperity, and raw-yet-inspired instrumentation makes for ’08’s best road music to date. But the real reward is paying attention and being consumed by such well-guided sincerity and timelessness. This guy is good.
Brushfire Records, May 20, 2008
And apropos to nothing, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Joie!!!
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Comment by Ron — June 27, 2008 @ 9:51 am
Great review! I saw Mason Jennings at Bonnaroo and Somerset, WI and both shows were just amazing. I can’t wait to see him live again….. Lallapalooza anyone? lol. Great, great folk/indy rock music that is hard to find these days.