https://spillmagazine.com/spill-album-review-john-jenkins-weary/

“Jenkins continues to come up with wonderful songs and has clearly carved out his musical niche. He is a talented artist, and this EP goes a long way in demonstrating his talent”

4 STARS

John Jenkins has been making music for quite a while now, either as a solo artist or with his band. Weary is his brilliant new EP, and the only problem with it is that like a good meal you wish there was just a little more. This EP includes five songs that he released as singles this year, plus the new track, the title “Weary”. Jenkins wrote all the tracks on Weary, and like his other releases, one gets a sense that this is deeply personal and an avenue for Jenkins to express himself and perhaps exercise some demons burning inside of him.

Jenkins music is Americana by way of Liverpool. This doesn’t mean it is Wilco with a Beatles beat, but rather, a different side to Americana. The title track, “Weary” is brilliant. The song grows into an acoustic ballad and within four minutes transforms into a great rock record. “Sometimes I get weary, and I fall,” Jenkins sings. “All I need is your loving arms around me once more”. With some fantastic vocals from Helen Shanley, Jenkins pours out his heart.  It is an incredible track and sets the stage for the EP.

And the wonderful thing about the EP is the diverse sounds. Sure, it falls under the Americana genre, but there is a wide variety of sounds throughout the entire EP.  And lyrically it is a very powerful six songs. Elsewhere on the EP, a powerful, yet gentle song about forgiving oneself and allowing for mistakes from your own person. It is moving and touching. Whereas a song like “Bury Myself In The Sand” is about avoiding the world at large and trying to just get on with one’s own life. “Dressing Up The Truth” and “The Reason” are both songs about growing up in Liverpool and showing love and gratitude to one’s family. The songs both reflect security and stability while giving thanks to family and the community.

Weary is a strong EP full of great songs, some just about others and developing one’s own style within a genre. Jenkins writes emotional, honest songs. Jenkins has a great voice that fits all the songs. The music is well-produced and well-arranged, and the CD sounds great. Jenkins continues to come up with wonderful songs and has clearly carved out his musical niche. He is a talented artist, and this EP goes a long way in demonstrating his talent.

https://louderthanwar.com/john-jenkins-weary-ep-review/

“The Weary EP is yet another collection of outstanding songs which adds further to the diversity of John Jenkins impressive songbook”

Following on from his critically acclaimed album, Tuebrook, Liverpool based singer/ songwriter John Jenkins releases a new EP which collects a number of songs which did not quite fit the brief for that album. Once again it proves to be another collection of outstanding songs which adds further to the diversity of John Jenkins impressive songbook.

When John Jenkins released his most recent album Tuebrook in July 2023, I strongly suspect that, like for myself, it had quite an unexpectedly profound impact on many people as a collection of songs inspired by his childhood home and upbringing which stimulated such a deep sense of reflection on our formative years. The stripped back nature in which those songs were presented merely added to the depth of the picture his words and music were painting. What is now becoming clear is that John, as ever the prolific writer, had several other songs in the works at the time which did not quite fit with the coherent narrative of that album, but which now see the light of day through this new EP, Weary.

From a first listen to the six songs on this EP, there is little doubt that they would not have blended well with the mood of the previous album as John now pushes forward with a much more diverse sound and expansive production. The intimacy of Tuebrook is replaced by much grander melodies and soaring chorus lines even though they all started being recorded around the same time as the songs on the album. But all of this reflects strongly on the creative spirit that John possesses as a singer/songwriter who continues to carve out a path for himself on the UK folk, country, and Americana scene.

The stark acoustic opening of title track Weary makes you think we are still in Tuebrook territory. However, all that soon changes as the band kicks in alongside sweeping keys from Chris Howard and uplifting trumpet from Tony Peers. A song which runs at just under six minutes literally explodes into a wall of glorious melody which is uplifted even further onto a gospel plateau through the soaring backing vocals of Helen Shanley and beautiful Hollies style harmonies, all of which bring it to a climactic ending. And this is all wrapped around the heart-wrenching narrative of “all I need are your loving arms around me once more.” For a song which John admits was around two years in the making, it was most definitely worth the wait.

Do You Ever Think About Me? has a far more subdued feel as it tackles the topic of failed relationships, mulling over whether there is any sense of looking back at those you have once loved, with the trumpet giving this melancholy folk-pop style ballad a strong sense of reflection. Meanwhile, Bury Myself In The Sand takes us into late night lounge bar jazz territory thanks to some notable contributions from Chris Howard (Piano), Tony Peers (Horns) and Jon Lawton (guitar/bass and drum programming) all of which give the sound such a warm and alluring quality. As John describes, it “is a song about ‘having one of those days’ when you feel that the whole world is conspiring against you, nothing is going right, and you just want to disappear from people and places”, which is something we can all relate to at certain points in our lives.

The Reason opens with a classic Roy Orbison style rhythm which is further embellished by John’s rich, deep vocals and John Lawton’s haunting guitar, all of which must have drawn some inspiration from the likes of Richard Hawley. And as a song which John explains “captures the unconditional bond and love of a son towards his mother within the emotional lyrics and music” it is yet another warm and affectionate outpouring of emotion conveyed with such love and care through John’s passionate songwriting.

I Don’t Want To Be That Guy Anymore is a song of defiance born out of a recent realisation that John is dyslexic, prompting a strong sense of self-reflection back through so many moments in his life which may now resonate in a completely different way, and not all in a positive sense. This no doubt accounts for the harder edged indie guitar sound which adds further to the diverse nature of this collection of songs as John admits that he has “spent a long time recently going over moments in my past and trying to connect the dots of my life and understand myself better.”

Dressing Up The Truth closes the EP with a strong sense of nostalgia as John reflects back on characters and relatives from the past and memories of events and situations which perhaps helped to shape his formative years, whilst also raising the question as to whether events did actually happen as he remembers them. Lyrically this is a song that could have been included on Tuebrook but missed the cut as it is presented in a far more upbeat fashion which did not align at the time.

The Weary EP is yet another collection of outstanding songs which adds further to the diversity of John Jenkins impressive songbook. The enduring warmth of John’s vocals alongside the richness of the arrangements and the honesty and sincerity of his songwriting convey such an outpouring of emotion, nostalgia and self-reflection which is so inspiring, especially when embellished with such glorious melodies and uplifting harmonies. Weary a great example of how powerful the musical form really is in being able to release pent up emotions as well as a way of capturing memories and documenting or reflecting back on moments in time.

All words by Ian Corbridge. 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/URNvrUtott6JA47L/

“Give it a listen, and then download it. You'll come back to it on a late evening with a drink in your hand when you need to soothe your soul”

There is always a lot of talk about genres of music and whether artists fit into a box - genres do at least allow you to have an idea of what kind of music you are likely to hear on a release or at a gig/festival, it's whether you then like it that matters on a personal level.

John Jenkins Music straddles those boxes. He's country, he's folk, he's got some blues in his soul and there's even some jazzy influences in one of the tracks on his new EP "Weary"

All six of the tracks are easy to listen to - John has a calming, smooth vocal, and what ever specific genre you prefer, by the end of this ep you will have liked it. That's what matters!

Weary is released on Friday. Give it a listen, and then download it. You'll come back to it on a late evening with a drink in your hand when you need to soothe your soul.

https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2024/09/13/john-jenkins-weary/

Raw, Honest and Deeply Personal Songs That Channel Hawley, Walker S and McCartney.

I genuinely wish he wasn’t, but singer-songwriter John Jenkins flies under the radar while his songs and the way he sings them deserves a much wider audience. I’ve given up worrying or trying to work these things out as to why someone with infinitely less talent get the ‘breaks’ and the TV/Radio promotion and troubadours like our chap here grind away in the background and never get to sit at the big table at Award ceremonies.
Last years TUEBROOK album was one of my favourites of the year and the stripped back arrangements really suited my mood at the time.
He’s touched my soul again here, not least with the opening song Weary which is a word I’ve used a lot recently to describe my own demeanour and (serendipity?) plan to use it when I get my annual check up at my local health centre next week.
The way John strums his guitar and delivers what sounds an autobiographical tale which builds from a soft start through to something of a hauntingly Gospelish crescendo featuring Helen Shanley sent a shiver down my back more than once when I’ve played the disc in the car.
As someone in the film industry once said …. “start with a volcano erupting and build on that!”
OK I’m paraphrasing something that may not be true; but it sort of sums up this all too short release …. while the next song, Do You Ever Think Of Me? isn’t of volcanic properties, it is so intensely beautiful makes me think of George Harrison singing a Paul McCartney out take, circa the latter’s Band On The Run days … yep … it is ‘that good.’
There’s a deceptive gentleness to Jenkins’ languid voice and his arrangements too that will lull you into a false sense of security when you first here the jazz-lite tones of Bury Myself In Sand and later Dressing Up The Truth too; but trust me on this, sooner or later you will find yourself doing an accompanying ‘soft shoe shuffle’ and will stop abruptly when Jenkins’ sucker-punch in his lyrics hits you squarely on the jaw.
For a few days I was totally enamoured with I Don’t Want To Be That Guy Anymore just like the opening track Weary as the McCartneyesque arrangement and deep story felt like John was describing me in my darker moments; and when I finally read the song notes it appears John was going through similar self- doubts at the time of writing and when it came to the recording “wanted a rough indie guitar sound and Jon Lawton as always steps up to the plate, even getting him to add a backward guitar solo to match the black thoughts he had been dipping into.” It works a treat too.
But, for my actual Favourite Song, again it’s from the darker end of the colour chart but the slightly twisted love song The Reason sounds uncannily like Richard Hawley covering Scott Walker and easily merits repeated plays in a darkened room. Is it about an unrequited love? A child’s love for their Mother? A tangled love affair? I think the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ as it covers all those bases and more, meaning something different to each and everyone who hears it.
Perhaps it’s the musical masochist in me that draws me to music like this and the people who create it … but I’ve paid a lot of money of the years buying albums and singles by household names that don’t even come close to creating raw, honest and deeply personal songs like these six; all of which will squeeze your heartstrings until you can’t take any more … but then press ‘repeat.’

Released 13th September 2024
https://www.johnjenkinsmusic.com/