https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2023/07/13/john-jenkins-tuebrook/

John Jenkins
Tuebrook
Self Release

Reflective and Sensitively Mature Songs to Accompany Life’s Highway

The instant this new release pinged into my in-box from RMHQ, I got the feeling something special was afoot as this artist’s two previous albums, If You Can’t Forgive, You Can’t Love and Growing Old (Songs From The Porch) are both RM favourites so expectations were running high, but nothing could prepare me for what was about to unfold…..

Fresh from a jaunt to my birthplace in Salford, parents in tow, we revisited all my childhood homes that were still standing, an emotional, thought-provoking re-tracing of what physically still remained standing of my early years: cue Tuebrook, named after the Childhood district of Liverpool where John Jenkins grew up.
It’s an album full of emotive memories and fictional exploration, reflections on what has gone before whilst trying to make sense of our continuing life-journey.
The first spin of this album just left me speechless, not solely for the shared nostalgic trip: as there is so much more to unravel.
This artist is a gentle, mature, sensitive writer, drawing on personal experiences such as the heartbreak of losing close friends and then effortlessly transporting himself to imagined shoes, beautifully demonstrating the same sensitivity with other poignant themes.

The first single Shadows opens the album, I was immediately drawn towards the blissfully deep-rich, soothing and downright welcoming vocals of John Jenkins which are accompanied by an easy laid back folk strum. I
t’s one of those voices that speaks directly to you, the bonding is sealed and I am all ears. The lyrics muse on faded towns that are ‘Shadows’ of their former self and I am taken with the ghostly, eerie BV harmonies by musician partner Pippa Murdie, evocative of a supernatural, atmospheric Dr Who score in parts.

Straight up next is the second single Christopher Roberts, a sentimental tale in which the songwriter fondly remembers a close childhood friend that he’s lost touch with. The introduction is an actual recording of himself as a child in 1964 which adds a deeper personal touch, the young Liverpudlian accent endearingly reminding the listener of this album’s Northern Roots before we get too lost in all the sun-drenched stripped-down Americana!

The songs, recorded with Jon Lawton at Crosstown studios in the heart of Liverpool, emit a chilled, reflective vibe: I get the feeling John Jenkins wants the stories to take centre stage which is fair enough when he has so much to say.
Maybe I Just Came along For The Ride and Passing Time combine fictional storytelling with gentle guitar picking which somehow eases anxieties surrounding whether the most has been made of life choices:

‘I thought I knew what sadness was
Reckon pride does come before a fall
I took each day as it came
Maybe I should have listened more.’

By his own admission, this artist loves to include American placenames in his songs and Idaho is a perfect plucking camp fire country tale, based on the traditional tune of Wayfaring Stranger, the sweet harmonies soften the sad life story contained within the song.

More surprises as this album beams us straight back to our own early years: a Child’s Sense Of Wonder has a divine Jazz lullaby twang whilst Mr Ford’s Hardware Shop is an inspired finale to the album, a children’s choir rings out memories of an iconic, long gone traditional shop in Tuebrook. We all knew one of those, right? as we are spun right back to face the ‘Shadows’ mentioned at the start.

Talking of the opener, it could have easily been my favourite for the memorable rift alone, but typically for me it’s down to two songs which hit us straight through the heart.
43 And Counting is a waltzing tragic tale of a woman who delayed having children because of her partner, only to be abandoned:

‘And I feel so alone
Something inside me has died I know
Time is a thief, a millstone
So many things I’d change if only I’d known’

For the top slot I’ve chosen William, as it gave me a lump in my throat on first listen.
A touching tribute to John Jenkin’s childhood friend who passed away due to drink, it comes complete with another impactful personal link, an audio clip of a young John and William larking about and making music as teenagers:

‘Wild as a Winter’s morning
Like a wind that pushed and grieved
Asked me never to forget him
In his letter that I received’

Dramatically confessional, heart tuggin’ storytelling at its best,
Tuebrook has it all and I’m playing catch up with RMHQ here when I say give yourself a treat and listen to this fine slice of Merseybeat Americana.
A rare thing indeed to find an album that speaks so directly to me as I reflect on my past to help me keep putting my best foot forward. John Jenkins is touring the UK with this exceptional album throughout July so I know exactly where my feet might take me first.

Review by Anita Joyce