Northern Sky Magazine Review 8th July 2020
https://northernskyreviews.com/2020/01/01/northern-sky-archive-2020-2/
John Jenkins – Growing Old (Songs From My Front Porch)
Album Review | Self Release | Review by Allan Wilkinson | Stars: 3/5
If the general theme of John Jenkins’ new album is perhaps lost youth, the ageing process and mortality, then the songs are delivered in a deceivingly youthful voice. The immediate expectation, judging by the cover shot, is of old time fiddle tunes from the Appalachian Mountains, yet Growing Old, subtitled Songs From My Front Porch, is far from this. Each of the dozen songs are accompanied by a simple guitar-led arrangement, with an emphasis on people, locations and time; the lonely war hero in “Daniel White” for instance, or the dark backwoods of the Townes Van Zandt influenced “Bear Lake County” to the highly personal temporal meditation embedded in the title song.
The Liverpool singer songwriter is joined by one or two additional singers and musicians, each of whom help to lift the already strong arrangements. There’s a Celtic feel to “Heartlands”, emphasised through the fiddle and flute accompaniment, courtesy of Amy Chalmers and Andy Connolly respectively. Then there’s a rich vocal duet with Siobhan Maher-Kennedy on the tender “The Mountain Between Us”, whilst the elements are on hand to help give “Jackson’s Farm” all the necessary atmosphere. Good songs, well played and delivered with humility.
Choice Track: Jackson’s Farm (NSV 505)
Liverpool Acoustic Review - John Jenkins - Growing Old - Songs from my Front Porch
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Album review: John Jenkins – Growing Old – Songs From My Front Porch
Posted By :Alan O'Hare Posted Date : June 13, 2020 In Music Reviews, News And Reviews, Reviews
Artist – John Jenkins
Album – Growing Old – Songs From My Front Porch
Released – 26th April 2020
Reviewer – Alan O’Hare, Liverpool Acoustic
Albums are on a collision course with disaster.
It’s not too hard to see into a future where ten or twelve songs, collected together by an artist and released with a theme in mind, no longer exists. That would be a massive shame, of course. But time and change stop for nothing.
‘Growing Old – Songs From My Front Porch’ is an album that asks you to stop for an hour and bask in its atmosphere. Veteran Liverpool songwriter John Jenkins has put together a record that looks back to a time when singer/songwriters such as James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell roamed the earth and devoured all that came before them.
This is a collection of songs centred on the self and filled with music dripping with sincerity and sensitivity. Sounding like a cup of black coffee tastes in the morning, with an aesthetic to match, it’s dominated by monochrome acoustic guitars, wounded strings and ethereal electric textures.
Jenkins’ latest is a reckoning with nostalgia, then, and lives and dies with its ability to keep listeners interested across eleven heartfelt songs of similar shapes and sounds. The tempos don’t change and colour is never allowed to seep in, as this black and white movie plays out over an hour of looking back.
It’s an old-fashioned headphones record, in short, and one to be played looking through a window dripping with raindrops as you long for days that have passed you by.
Perfect for lockdown listening? Perhaps.
The music (Amy Chalmers’ violin, Andrew Connally’s flutes and whistles in particular) is often beautiful and Jenkins’ best lyrics and melodies (‘Heartlands’, ‘Jackson’s Farm’, ‘I’m Almost Over You’) leave you
smiling wryly as another longing lament refuses to leave your brain.
‘Growing Old – Songs From My Front Porch’ is a defiant piece of work that stands out of time in a world changing with every turn.
Allan O’Hare
Review © 2020 Alan O’Hare, Liverpool Acoustic
Pennyblack Music Review
https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/IndexSearchResults?bid=30063
Band:John Jenkins
Title:Growing Old - Songs From My Front Porch
Reviewed By:Steve Kinrade
Date Published:06/10/2020
John Jenkins' latest musical offering sees him not only consolidating himself as one of Merseyside’s finest songwriters, but also that, like a fine single malt, he is maturing just nicely with age. 'Growing Old' presents us with twelve songs which see Jenkins muse about the life events and the effect the ageing process has on your environment, relationships and self. And as a result, he has successfully evoked - through musical alchemy - an atmosphere of melancholy, hope and benign perspective.
It has to be said that Jenkins is at his most successful when he creates an aural intimacy between himself and his listener, like he is sitting beside you, singing softly, to you and only you. It is at this moment that an emotional bond is created that transforms you to remember those life events that shaped all of us. Hence this scene is set with the opening composition 'Growing Old', and consolidated by the songs that come after - the Larkinesque 'Daniel White', 'Heartlands' and the achingly beautiful 'A Mother’s Devotion' This intimacy is, however, broken by Jenkins' duet with Siobhan Maher-Kennedy - 'This Mountain Between Us' - which although a good song, sadly manages to momentarily break this sense of intimacy Jenkins has created. This other voice breaks the spell….
The production is top notch, with very fine performances by the guest musicians. A
particular doffing of the cap should be directed towards the guest musicians, especially John Lawton for some majestic guitar work, Andy Connolly for his outstanding flute creativity and Amy Chalmers for her violin and string arrangements - her work on 'Jackson’s Farm', which evokes the ghost of Nick Drake collaborator Richard Kirkby, is simply superb.
'Growing Old' is an album which reveals different aspects of itself through repeated
listenings. It possesses a richness of life experience and emotion, which, given the title, you would expect. In his previous work Jenkins seems fascinated by the hope and potential that the wide-open spaces of America seems to offer. Yet he has the instinct to recognise that the authentic insights happen close to home, within us, and to those who.share the space around us. A rare skill indeed.
This is a collection of songs that succinctly encapsulate the feelings and experiences of a life lived. And through Jenkins shrewd and nuanced observations, he gives us an emotional blueprint to take on those challenges that the ageing process makes us all face. A real gem of an album.
Divide and Conquer USA Review of "Growing Old - Songs from My Front Porch" 3.9 out of 5
Growing Old - Songs from my Front Porch
self-released; 2020
3.9 out of 5
By My Nguyen
John Jenkins is a Liverpool, UK singer/songwriter who performs either solo or with his band “John Jenkins and the James Street Band.” A favorite in the local music scene, the artist is releasing his latest album entitled Growing Old – Songs from my front porch.
In the singer/songwriter vein, the songs on this album are quieter imbued with a sense of stillness. From the soft cadence, listeners will be able to meditate on life’s many mysteries including aging itself, memory and impermanence. Revolving around the acoustic guitar, these numbers gives an introspective look on getting older. Jenkins shares his wisdom and insights in this array of songs and we really get to know the man behind the mic – his drive, his passions and his music.
Growing Old – Songs from my front porch opens with “Growing Old” where noodling on the acoustic guitar starts off this track. The sounds are warm and intimate. The interwoven sounds of electric and acoustic guitar also trace this song.
Following is “Daniel White,” where deft strumming on the acoustic guitar opens up this ballad. The acoustic guitar alone supports Jenkins’ vocals. A stripped-down song with a sparse sound, traces of lush strings also add a layer of embellishment to this mainly acoustic track.
On “Heartlands,” wind instruments give off unique instrumentation to this song. Numerating on the acoustic guitar underscores the vocals. The sounds are relaxing and comforting. The closer “The Last Song” is aptly titled andthe flute add a searing layer and the acoustic guitar melodies are pleasing to the ear.
Taking audiences on an inward journey, Jenkins’ music breaks down barriers and we are left with melodies and harmonies that will be sure to stick in your head long after the record has stopped spinning. Jenkins takes the familiar sounds of country and folk and fastens within its perimeters a sound that is solely his own. With a nod to the past, as Jenkins numerates on the yesteryears, the album is also rooted in the present as more contemporary audiences can also appreciate the record. Growing Old – Song from my Front Porch sheds lights on a musician who shows his musical growth through his ever-evolving style and sound.