John Jenkins: I Don’t Want To Be That Guy Anymore. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Whilst nobody else watches us struggle with today’s angst and the shifting patterns of torment that comes from opening our heart to the world, we can take solace in that we ourselves believe our truth, that our cry, whether in silence and overwhelming tears, or in full throated declaration and an intent to shake the universe, the opportunity to change and be that man that says I Don’t Want To Be That Guy Anymore is one to be taken notice of, to be admired, to be respected.

It is the softly spoken admittance of the resolute that we seek to afford our own determination to do better, that as a man we search for a role model who understands their own foibles, the ways they have regretfully treated another, and we hope we can be as strong in our confession as that in which have looked to as our representative on stage.

John Jenkins has taken it with heart on his sleeve in a way that is honest, full of reminisce, a patience of growth, and an appeal to a better judgement that as one hell of a man and musician the listener might believe that he should not have the worry to express; but to which the perspective of his journey through tracks that thematically could not fit on the awesome Tuebrook album mean that this bold statement, this imploring of rejection of a flawed ideal, is to be heralded as one of the musician’s most endearing ever songs.

A stand-alone track can always be taken out of context, but this gentleman leaves nothing to chance, he pushes all his angst, all that fear, distress, need, and possible redemption into one beautifully produced single and comes out the other side with panache, style, and the release of salvation.

John Jenkins’ I Don’t Want To Be That Guy Anymore is out now.

Ian D. Hall

https://www.liverpoolsoundandvision.co.uk/2024/05/04/john-jenkins-i-dont-want-to-be-that-guy-anymore-single-review/

https://www.w21music.com/post/single-review-john-jenkins-i-don-t-want-to-be-that-guy-anymore

Arriving in our inbox and rightfully demanding our attention on a damp and dank Friday afternoon is the new single from John Jenkins - "I Don't Want TO be That Guy Anymore". Literally busting with life from the opening this guitar riff laden, organ fest is exactly what was needed to blow away any Bank Holiday blues. In truth it is more Americana in attitude than in actual sound, but it is too good to let pass by without giving it due attention.

The full band onslaught does subside somewhat into a more acoustic guitar sound for the first verse as John opens the vocals

"Tell me who you see?

I don't want to be that guy anymore

Tell me how you feel

About the things I did before"

It's an intriguing opening - what is this epiphany that has been reached and who's opinion does he value that much to announce this to and what on earth are the regrets that have led him to this point are all questions that don't really get answered yet that in no way takes away from the enjoyment.

"Ended up with nothing - except this misery

Guess It's all that I deserve - as the world punches back at me"

The cover of the release is quite poignant capturing someone staring into the mirror and maybe not liking what the see.

The lyrics do actually later point at a drink problem but without any real context as to what is driving it.

"Slept through my early morning calls

Drank far too much to face it all

And I could drink so much more"

With a cracking extended musical interlude it's just a great listen and sometimes that is all you need!

Liverpool Sound and Vision 5 Stars - Kathleen - Single

John Jenkins, Kathleen. Single Review. Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * * What speaks to our minds, also makes the soul dance and long constantly for the memory of that sound, to play it repeatedly, to change it, to alter it maybe, but in all just to honour it through your own personal way of love and respect. The song or track which are covered by another artist can be seen in two ways, one as a marketing tool installed by the studio and intended to be a lead single for the masses to be divided over, or as act of selfless purity, of honouring what made us believe in the first place and turned us on to the gift of art in which we practise. For an artist such as Liverpool’s John Jenkins, to cover a song, any wild beauty from the past, would be certainly recorded out of honour, but it is with deep principled respect that he has taken the sublime Townes Van Zandt gem, Kathleen, and breathed his own particular salutation and insight into the incredible mystery of the track, and alongside the engaging musical belief of Amy Chalmer, has produced something magical, a spirit of its own making. The genius of Townes Van Zandt is not for debate, but there is also the sadness of his own life, the self-destructive shadow that followed him, that perhaps arguably guided him, and it is with melancholic beauty that his song, his words, have been arranged in such a way that make them resonate in such a way that it would not be hard to imagine the gap between the original and the adaption is a lot less than 50 years, indeed what Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Chalmers have achieved is spectacular, riveting, heartbreakingly cool and decisively elegant. Kathleen loves, and Kathleen lives on, for this adaption of a classic is not one of simply redressing an old flame for a modern audience, it is one that has been revealed as a true depiction of an outstanding beauty to which the original master would idolise. John Jenkins’ version of Kathleen is out today via Fretstore Records. Ian D. Hall

Liverpool Acoustic Review - Desert Hearts

Liverpool Sound and Vision 8.5/10 - Desert Hearts

Single review: John Jenkins – Desert Hearts

BY: STUART TODD - ON: FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Despite the challenges of lockdown, John Jenkins has been productive with the release of last year’s album Growing Old – Songs From My Front Porch, which garnered excellent reviews. John has also continued to host The Garden Party for Vintage Radio.

Recorded with long-time collaborator Jon Lawton at Crosstown Studios, Desert Hearts is the brand new single release by the prolific Wirral singer-songwriter. Picking up where previous single Jackson’s Farm left off, Jenkins crafts a near seven-minute epic that’s been over a year in the making.

As with any John Jenkins release, the production is stellar with a committed performance that takes us on a wistful journey. The key line “Desert hearts in the wilderness, motions blowing in the wind” is apt in these uncertain times. The mellow vibe at the beginning builds to a triumphant call to arms.

This reflective piece on mortality considers that life is to be lived on its own terms; “Feel like I’ve lived more than one lifetime.”

Desert Hearts by John Jenkins is the first release on Fretsore Records and is a solid debut for the London based label.

Stuart Todd

JOHN JENKINS