Americana Highways Review May 2026
“A gifted song storyteller, Jenkins strips his songs to the bone, luring listeners into vivid human cinematic landscapes.”
John Jenkins Restless Hearts
Liverpool-based UK singer-songwriter John Jenkins most recent musical tome, Restless Hearts, is an emotionally resonant album that blends folk, Americana, and country and explores themes of love, loss, faith, and the fleeting nature of time.
A gifted song storyteller, Jenkins lyrically strips his songs down to the bare bones, like Ernest Hemmingway’s “less is more” writing style, lulling and luring listeners into vivid human cinematic landscapes that at times permeate the very marrow of bone. Jenkins’ vocals are reminiscent of American country singer Don Williams, Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits – especially on “Cruel Wind” and “Too Many Roads”) and (dare I say) Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters in their raw starkness and profound provocation.
He sings with an authentic honesty, evocative conversational delivery, and at some points with an eerie haunting, like in “The Sound of Thunder” or “The Disappearance,” a jarring tale of a turbulent relationship, a missing woman, and a possibly untimely escape at Crystal Lake, with Jerkins narrator asking, “Was she pushed or did she jump?” “Did she leave him? Will he ever know?” Where is she?” – questions that hang heavy in the ether long after the song concludes.
Working with a talented array of musicians – Scott Poley (dobro/pedal steel), Chris Howard (piano), Phil Chisnall (resonator guitar), Pippa Murdie (mandolin, cello), Jon Lawton (guitars, bass), and Mikey Kenney (fiddle) – each track is skillfully crafted and spacious, letting the songs breathe and the musicians shine in the textures and elements that augment each song.
Jenkins solo guitar is the central grounding instrument with sparse yet significant accompaniments, while some tracks include a full band treatment when it suits the song, as in the upbeat “I Didn’t Really Want To Change The World” with its intriguing changing time-signature beat, and “The Man Who Breaks Your Heart,” a traditional Country track, which could be played at any dance hall for an intimate two step. Occasional subtle harmony vocals from Pippa Murdie work so wonderfully on wistful songs like “Too Many Roads,” “He Never Needed Much,” and “The Man Who Breaks Your Heart.” She steps into the forefront on one track, trading verses with Jenkins quite effectively on “Colorado in the Spring.”
Natural elements are motifs weaved throughout the lyrical scenes on the album tracks – as in the “autumn breeze” and “falling leaves” in “Brooklyn,” a song seascape that asserts “It’s so easy to be mistaken, when you’re far away in a land across the sea” with lonely Irish overtones in its “Li li li la” refrain. The song resolutely comes to a close with the final realization: “I guess some things were just meant to be.” Other introspective seasonal songs include “The Not Knowing,” (which invites the listener into a gentle character vignette in the misty rain as “Ben sips his coffee” because he somberly has “such a long, long way from where he is going, and where he thinks he’s been”), “He Never Needed Much” (which serves as a requiem for a man with “an air of childish youth” who “never needed much but made the most of his life.”), “Spent the Night in Austin,” a nostalgic reflection of life and what we learn (sometimes the hard way) along our journey that can leave us jaded (as Jenkins admits, “It’s getting too cold to even care”). Jenkins rounds out the collection by letting the listener wander with him longingly through the trees of “Farthings Wood,” a gentle acoustic dirge accented by a lone moving violin.
Hiraeth is a Welsh word that is somewhat difficult to describe in English, since no single English word expresses all that it means. It is an earnest longing or desire, or a sense of regret; a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, yearning, or grief for the lost places of your past. This complex concept seems to partly convey the feeling John Jenkins captures so clearly throughout the songs on Restless Hearts, along with the search for meaning, joy, hope, and redemption, an album you can come back to time and time again, with deepening rewards.https://americanahighways.org/2026/05/10/review-john-jenkins-restless-hearts/
⭐ “A masterclass in storytelling and musical craftsmanship.” Pitch Perfect
https://www.pitchperfectsite.com/indie-music-album-reviews/john-jenkins-restless-hearts
John Jenkins is one of those heartland Americana artists who come from… England! Everyone else in the world seems to do country just as good or better than Americans, so why not a chap from Liverpool? This should not surprise me, as the first thing I heard in a Northern Irish Pub was American Country and Western (“We love that stuff here!” I was told). Following a previous album and EP, the newest John Jenkins release is called Restless Hearts. It has already been termed “a masterclass in storytelling and musical craftsmanship.”
Both solo and with his James Street Band, Jenkins creates songs that blend folk and country with lyrical storytelling. He’s got a lively performing career under his rhinestone belt, having supported acts like Chris Difford, Jarrod Dickenson and Robert Vincent. His own music has been influenced by Bob Dylan and (the late, great) Nanci Griffith, and has been compared to Neil Young, Paul Heaton, Suzanne Vega and (to my ears) John Prine. Before playing the Bandcamp release, I accidentally happened upon Jenkins’ Spotify cover of an old favorite of mine by Iris DeMent: “Easy’s Gettin’ Harder Every Day.”
Thematically his songs (both originals and covers) explore love, loss, faith, renewal and the fleeting nature of time. Jenkins will spend a lot of time writing new material, then take the best songs into the studio, where he hand-picks his backing players. This time around they include A-list musicians Mikey Kenney (fiddle), Scott Poley (dobro/pedal steel), Chris Howard (piano), Phil Chisnall (resonator guitar), Pippa Murdie (mandolin/cello/backing vocals), and Jon Lawton (guitars/bass). The album was self-produced by Jenkins and John Lawton and recorded at Crosstown Studios in Liverpool.
“Cruel Wind” establishes the mood of the album with a delectable mix of acoustic guitars, mandolin and fiddle, topped by Jenkins’ pleasing tenor vocals cresting along a tight one-two beat. When I first heard these songs it drove me crazy that I couldn’t place who Jenkins sounded like (John Prine is close, but not quite); now I realize his country cadences are blending in with his Liverpudlian accent. My wife mentioned Peter Noone, which might be too extreme but not by much! The resonator or dobro guitar adds a real country vibe.
“The Disappearance” slows things down with a regretful vocal, minor-key acoustic, piano and ghostly banjo. “Too Many Roads” continues that same thoughtful, conflicted feel in the vocals and lyrics, with another steady, driving backing track. “Colorado in the Spring” is the third minor-key song in a row (Jenkins is obviously comfortable here!) and features guest vocalist Pippa Murdie alternating with Jenkins. “I Didn’t Really Want To Change The World” is perhaps my favorite track, both for its lively major-minor arrangement and its similarity to James Taylor at his most sprightly.
“Sound of Thunder” returns to the contemplative mode with laid-back acoustic, piano and resonator guitar. Lyrically Jenkins weaves an image of being alone with your thoughts and memories: “The sound of thunder in the distance from my porch chair… (I) put my head up to face the sky to wash away the pain.”
“The Not Knowing” opens with a short acoustic lead section that very much recalls the songs of Nanci Griffith. This is another sweet song tinged with melancholy but featuring one of Jenkins’ most beautiful chorus harmonies, possibly with himself! “Spent the Night in Austin” feels very much like the classic, introspective 60’s folk I’ve only heard about (LOL) with a distinct Spanish feel to the trilling mandolin. I’ve always wanted to visit Austin, but I’m not so sure after hearing this track! “The Man Who Breaks Your Heart” is an unabashed country torch song with ringing pedal steel by Scott Poley, trilling piano by Chris Howard and Mikey Kenney on evocative fiddle.
As I reach the end of a few plays of this album, it’s clear that the lyrics and stories require much more reflection than the short time I had for this review. But the music is there for all of us to enjoy, and I highly recommend you doing so!
Lonesome Highway Review
“A terrific album, right up there with his best, and John Jenkins goes from strength to strength in all that he turns his many talents toward”
https://www.lonesomehighway.com/music-reviews/2025/9/22/new-album-reviews
John Jenkins Restless Hearts Self Release
An experienced maven in the art of songwriting and communicating emotion in his music, with a deft touch that pulls on the heartstrings of our sensitivities. His back catalogue began in 2016 with the release of TRAINS, and he followed this in 2017 with WINDOW SHOPPING IN NASHVILLE. In 2019 Jenkins formed the James Street Band and released LOOKING FOR THAT AMERICAN DREAM, and into 2020 GROWING OLD (Songs From My Porch) appeared. TUEBROOK was released in 2023, a very personal album concerning his formative years in Liverpool, followed in 2024 by THE REASON AND OTHER SONGS. WEARY also appeared that same year, a six-song EP issued to whet the appetite, before this 2025 release RESTLESS HEARTS. Quite an impressive back catalogue and John Jenkins is not only prolific but also superbly talented at capturing the human condition in all its guises. I certainly need to add to my personal collection of his music and Jenkins never fails to deliver when it comes to insightful and inspiring music.
This time out we have twelve songs to enjoy and the jaunty opener Cruel Wind sings about regrets and not being able to hide from the mistakes of the past, even as the musicians kick up a very inviting storm in the ensemble playing. Indeed, this track is a marker for what is to come with the craftsmanship of Mikey Kenney (fiddle), Scott Poley (dobro/pedal steel), Chris Howard (piano), Phil Chisnall (resonator guitar), Pippa Murdie (mandolin, cello, and backing vocals), and Jon Lawton (various guitars and bass) excelling at every turn.
John Jenkins has a very warm vocal tone and he sings almost like he’s sharing an intimate secret between friends; quietly reflective in the delivery and perfectly captured on the track The Disappearance and the tale of a wife who is no longer traceable, giving all concerned pause for thought as to why she felt compelled to leave. Again, on Too Many Roads the band deliver an engaging melody and tempo on a song about hard times and the choices made in order to try and get ahead.
Pippa Murdie shares lead vocal on Colorado In the Spring and it is a highlight among many great moments on the album, with the atmospheric pedal steel of Scott Poley and the superb fiddle of Mikey Kenney really lifting the arrangement. There is an echo on some songs that reminds me of the Waterboys circa their Fisherman’s Blues album, and tracks like I Didn’t Really Want To Change the World and Cruel World fit into that spontaneous celebratory sound of the ensemble in full flight..
Sound Of Thunder is the longest track included here and is a reflective look at a life lived and the frustrations that haunt in memories of the past; the acoustic strum of guitars blending with piano, dobro and pedal steel in another standout moment. The emigrant tale on Brooklyn is nicely observed and delivered, with The Not Knowing also occupying similar space of displacement and looking for escape of sorts ‘Such a long long way to where he thinks he’s going, Such a long long way from where he thinks he’s been.’
Spent the Night In Austin is a story song about youthful travels that capture a feeling that no matter where you go, you can never get away from your inner reflections and thoughts. Never Needed Much looks into the solitary life of a character who resisted change in his habits and lived a simple life. The straight up Country swing of The Man Who Breaks Your Heart is a refreshing twirl on a dancefloor and Farthings Wood closes proceedings with a quiet acoustic guitar strum and a love song that soothes the spirit. A terrific album, right up there with his best, and John Jenkins goes from strength to strength in all that he turns his many talents toward.
Paul McGee
https://www.lonesomehighway.com/music-reviews/2025/9/22/new-album-reviews
“Restless Hearts… a complete piece, classy and satisfying. You can’t say much fairer than that!” Folk North West
Folk North West Album Review
JOHN JENKINS - Restless Hearts
By Damian Liptrot Music Reviews
https://www.folknorthwest.co.uk/music-john-jenkins-restless-hearts.html
The previous album release from the Liverpool based singer-songwriter was much admired and enjoyed on these pages. Restless Hearts has met with the same approval, bringing into focus the range of his art, moving from the autobiographical and often introspective elements of ‘Tuebrook’, to the outward looking, story telling collection with which we are now presented.
While he is quick to admit to his influences, both lyrical and musical in the shape of Dylan and Nanci Griffiths, both the songs and the delivery are very much his own. Softly delivered, he weaves stories of those of us who look beyond their current situations and dare to imagine and then seek what to most would be and simply remain a dream.
The quality of both his writing and delivery are matched by the assembled musical and vocal accompanists, having surrounding himself with the talents of Mikey Kenney (fiddle), Scott Poley (dobro), Chris Howard (piano), Phil Chisnall (resonator guitar), Jon Lawton (various guitars and bass), along with frequent collaborator Pippa Murdie on mandolin, cello, and backing vocals. Make no mistake, this is Jenkins’ own album – his voice and guitar are at the heart of it at all times, but each of his team make contributions that further elevate the quality Americana on offer. After multiple listens, it’s as though a good time has been distilled and placed on CD!
At the core of Restless Hearts are the stories within the songs and beyond that there is the sense of character and place that runs across the album and maintains the interest throughout. It’s often a gentle, engaging listen but the likes of ‘I Didn’t Really Want To Change The World’ pick up the pace, but picking out individual tracks for praise would overlook the fact that the whole album has the feel of a complete piece, classy and satisfying. You can’t say much fairer than that!
Americana UK Review July 2025
“A quietly powerful collection that invites the listener into a world of emotional ambiguity and faded light, Restless Hearts rewards patient, attentive listening with its storytelling heart. Jenkins has a gift for conjuring characters and moments that linger — not because they are grand or dramatic, but because they feel true.”
John Jenkins “Restless Hearts”
Independent, 2025
July 22, 2025 John Lee Album Reviews
https://americana-uk.com/john-jenkins-restless-hearts
A quietly stirring album of vocals, violins and vignettes, which has its heart in the power of storytelling.
John Jenkins’ latest release, “Restless Hearts”, is a laid-back album that seems to be deliberately emphasising the acoustic. It is also nearly the definition of americana: sometimes leaning towards folk, sometimes country and sometimes simple singer/songwriter – with the occasional hint of blues in places.
Lyrically, “Restless Hearts” is an album of imagined vignettes, many of which contain a deep sadness. While the songs may not be autobiographical, they clearly come from a place of extensive reflection. Indeed, the overall tone of the record is one of melancholia, introspection and nostalgia. There’s a sense of regret, emotional weariness, and a search for meaning or redemption. Even the moments of warmth or memory are tinged with sadness or distance. The words often evoke quiet sorrow, with speakers wrestling with loss, missed chances, and the weight of everyday life. They deal with themes like lost love, caused by neglect or misstep, emotional exhaustion and the search for home.
Country leaning opener, ‘Cruel Wind’, is a powerful portrayal of regret and emotional aftermath. The speaker’s guilt and longing are amplified by images of water and disconnection – there are “legs made of water” which are “struggling to find my way to the shore”. The refrain is particularly powerful: the “cruel wind” becomes a metaphor for inescapable consequences. And the sadness is there too, “I’ve got the world on my shoulders/I do not seem to fit in it anymore”. Musically, the mix of strong bass line, acoustic guitars, strings and harmonised vocals adds to the thoughtful nature of the song.
‘The Disappearance’ is the song that feels closest to a short story. There is an ambiguity about what has happened, which is unsettling. “Not knowing if she was pushed or did she jump” blurs guilt and innocence, loss and responsibility. The song starts with a simple acoustic guitar progression, which allows the vignette, and its sadness, to sit centre stage: the emotional weight lies in the partner’s unravelling, haunted more by what he doesn’t know than what he does. An emotive violin part adds to that sense of sadness.
The album might be at its best when it’s at its most subtle. For example, ‘Colorado in the Spring’, based mostly on a strummed acoustic guitar joined later in the song by a mournful cello part, is a poetic song filled with spiritual ambiguity. It tells the story of Alice, who “As a child she thought she’d seen an Angel/When her mother passed away”, and the listener is left unsure whether this is real or just the haze of memory. And the repetition of the line “I do believe I was right” – sung by the beautifully voiced Pippa Murphy – feels like a powerful defensive mantra against inner conflict. Similarly, ‘The Sound of Thunder’ is one of the most richly drawn stories. Mundane details, such as “Fed the cat – she ignored me/She sits on the windowsill, can’t remember a time she ever sat on my knee,” add emotional depth and give the song a very lived-in feel. Musically, there is no sound of thunder, but there is a beautiful, subtle, slightly bluesy guitar part which perhaps emphasises the symbolic use of thunder: there is something – a reckoning or unresolved trauma – rumbling just out of reach.
The way that Jenkins has crafted the album, built on a series of unconnected stories, might mean that there is no one message he wants to share. And that works. But there does feel like there is a heart. Slow burner ‘The Not Knowing’ stands out for its philosophical depth and the idea that uncertainty itself is a painful condition. Lines such as “It’s no use living in the ashes of a dead happiness” are devastating, but it is the existential lack of clarity that underlies the song, and the album: “Is it in the not knowing/That really gets under his skin”. It is also a song that can really get under the listener’s skin: another blend of acoustic and strings that can really persist in the memory.
Overall, “Restless Hearts” is a quietly powerful collection that invites the listener into a world of emotional ambiguity and faded light. While there are highlights, none of the songs misfire. Jenkins has a gift for conjuring characters and moments that linger, not because they are grand or dramatic, but because they feel true. The restrained arrangements and thoughtful lyrics combine to form an album that is rich in texture and feeling. For those drawn to the storytelling heart of americana, this is a record that rewards patient, attentive listening.
8/10
REVIEW – SUZY’S MUSICAL WORLD
“I was shamelessly drawn to Restless Hearts like a moth to a flame, a bee to a brightly coloured flower, a buzzard circling a dead buffalo on the prairie… and I wasn’t disappointed.”
“John Jenkins draws you into his narrative with a gentle, soothing voice. It’s this personal touch which makes him stand out as a great songwriter.”
“Surprisingly, the lad hails from Liverpool — he could quite easily have been from Omaha or Ohio.”
https://www.suzysmusicalworld.co.uk/post/album-review-restless-hearts-john-jenkins
REVIEW – SUZY’S MUSICAL WORLD
https://www.suzysmusicalworld.co.uk/post/album-review-restless-hearts-john-jenkins
Album Review - Restless Hearts - John Jenkins
When Suzy asked me if I wanted to review this album, I read the press release, saw the
words fiddle, mandolin, and dobro , and was shamelessly drawn to it like a moth to a flame, a bee to a brightly coloured flower, a buzzard circling a dead buffalo on the prairie, knowing that soon I am going to get a really tasty and fulfilling meal.
And I wasn’t disappointed, it grabbed me from the first track, with it’s simplicity, and then it’s understated accompaniments, of the afore mentioned instruments, and by the time I reached I Didn’t Really Want To Change The World, I was singing along with the chorus even though I’d never heard it before. I love music which sounds familiar, with comforting melodies, and every one of these songs fits those two categories.
I didn’t know much about John Jenkins before I was sent his album, but surprisingly the lad hails from Liverpool, (he could quite easily have been from Omaha or Ohio) and has been around the music business for many a year. Obviously honing his UK Americana style which runs through this album. Whether it’s the stripped back simpleness of Farthings Wood with just an acoustic guitar and a tremelo’d mandolin deep in the background, to the out and out old time country song The Man Who Breaks Your Heart, John draws you in to his narrative, with his gentle soothing voice, reminiscent to me of Lloyd Cole. On Sound Of Thunder which features some wonderful weaving of pedal steel guitar, resonator and piano, John slips in a line about feeding the cat who then ignored him, and you can just picture this, it is so out of the blue and personal, and I think it’s this personal touch which makes him stand out as a great songwriter.
John is currently doing a smallish UK tour to promote this album,accompanied by Pippa
Murdie who plays mandolin cello and backing vocals I would recommend you get to a show if he is near you. I would also recommend you to check this album out Restless Hearts, if you are a fan of country or Americana, or even just looking for some excellent acoustic driven songs presented in a humble way.
“Sheer class”
“Restless Hearts demonstrates just what a gifted storyteller John Jenkins is.”
Americana: album review – John Jenkins ‘Restless Hearts’
https://darrensmusicblog.com/2025/08/29/americana-album-review-john-jenkins-restless-hearts/
Singer-songwriter, John Jenkins, was once part of Liverpool’s ‘80s post-punk scene as a member of The Persuaders and Come in Tokio but as the decades rolled on it was as a solo performer and on the Americana scene where he began to really make his mark.
I reviewed his third album, the extremely promising Growing Old (Songs From My Front Porch) back in 2020, noting “Jenkins’ lyrics have a nice turn of phrase to them and he can clearly turn out some really, strong memorable melodies, too.”
A further album, If You Can’t Forgive You Can’t Love followed in 2021. However, it was his next album Tuebrook, that appeared to be something of a gamechanger and cemented his reputation as a critically-acclaimed figure on the UK’s Americana scene. Following a well-received EP, Weary, in 2024, Jenkins is back with a new full-length album.
John Jenkins: “My previous album, Tuebrook, was deeply personal, with most tracks drawing inspiration from significant moments in my own life. For this new album, I aimed to return to storytelling, crafting narratives that were less autobiographical yet still rich in character and emotion. Even while consciously creating fictional personas, I found that elements from my own experiences and the lives of those around me naturally wove their way into the fabric of the songs. The result is a blend of truth and fiction, where distinguishing one from the other is often challenging.”
Drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding album and Nanci Griffiths’ Last of the True Believers, Restless Hearts explores the theme of restlessness with songs about those who, in one way or another, are searching for more in their lives.
Restless Hearts demonstrates just what a gifted storyteller John Jenkins is. Its twelve tracks hit the sweet spot in capturing that enigmatic blend of sadness, longing and hope, set to some instantly appealing melodies and with a crack squad of A-list musicians, bringing depth, emotion and sheer class to this gorgeous collection songs. Highly recommended.
“Nobody tells a story and soothes the soul quite like John Jenkins… Restless Hearts is another stunning album, and perhaps his most impactful project yet.”
https://stereostickman.com/music/john-jenkins-restless-hearts/
John Jenkins Restless Hearts
Jul 13, 2025 - Rebecca Cullen
Nobody tells a story and soothes the soul quite like John Jenkins. An artist and songwriter whose integrity and charm have let his organic music build a lasting reputation across the independent scenes of the UK. And here, we get not only another stunning album of original songs, but perhaps his most impactful project yet.
Led by a folk-rock bounce, later meandering through acoustic contemplation – this album is an eclectic 12-track playlist of stories and tunes both uplifting and occasionally tragic. Aptly titled Restless Hearts, it’s a blessing to listen through.
John Jenkins’ voice has the humility and heart of a classic, sixties-esque singer-songwriter – a touch of The Beatles but a personal thread of integrity, and an organic musicality that feels effectively timeless in both melody and set-up.
Cruel Wind is a brilliant opening track, uplifting but thought provoking, with its energy and full-band vibrancy contrasted beautifully by the clear melancholy of a stripped-back and devastating The Disappearance. A strong start is essential, and these two stories and songs alone are likely to get you hitting play a few times over.
Then for Too Many Roads, the folk-rock shuffle and stomp returns – a supremely catchy, snappy set of lyrics and tuneful satisfaction, scenery that takes you there, stops and starts that keep you fully focused on the movement of the music. This one is a gem of a track, a personal favourite – an earworm that feels both nostalgic and fresh, and no doubt a real highlight at a John Jenkins live show this summer.
Pippa Murdie later gifts smooth vocal dynamic to the acoustic folk honesty and heart-breaking memories of Colorado in the Spring, with ‘I do believe that I was right’ resounding and repeating after listening. This song actually reminds me somewhat of Radiohead’s High and Dry.
Another lovely knees-up anthem but gentle and humble as ever – I Didn’t Really Want to Change The World features a lush fiddle solo and a full-band warmth again lighting up the space, before Sound of Thunder pairs piano and acoustic guitar, for a fire-side country vibe that again sets the scene with poignant precision. Simple, short lines are impressively all that’s needed to really capture the evocative essence of this piece of music and writing.
Through Brooklyn and The Not Knowing, John maintains a sense of acoustic calm and clarity, with stories of depth and a pure, unplugged warmth, subtle harmonies, and intimate reflections, all feeling both personal and strangely relatable; especially the latter. The Not Knowing is quite profound and powerful, despite its softness and minimalism as a quiet acoustic song.
This mood continues somewhat, for Spent the Night in Austin and Never Needed Much, letting the music feel almost like an extended embrace – the perfect playlist to relax and ponder the world and the past amidst. Then at just the right moment, The Man Who Breaks Your Heart injects a twist of bigger-band country energy and style. A catchy resolve backed by a welcomed upbeat bounce of an arrangement, and something of a choir-like crescendo at its peak.
Concluding Restless Hearts, easy acoustic finger-picking, and a first-person journey through nature. Farthings Wood lets you escape into the calm of the world, and brings things to a gorgeously hopeful and happy finish. A lovely curtain call, familiar melodically but interesting enough in its scene-by-scene story to feel new, and a great way to wrap up this established and rather divine album.
Catch John Jenkins on tour this month, with shows in Brighton and Blackpool coming up in the next few days.