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Jack McKeon - Talking to Strangers
If Jackson Browne had been born in Appalachia he might have turned out to be an artist more akin to Jack McKeon. But, even McKeon is mostly a stranger to that particular geography having originally hailed from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York before moving to Nashville to hone his craft and plant his flag in the burgeoning world of contemporary bluegrass while equipped with loads of talent and strong singer-songwriter sensibilities. Still, you wouldn't really know that with one spin of his just released debut Talking to Strangers.
On his debut, McKeon digs in to that backwoods sound and does his talking with a banjo-heavy, Americana-themed band backing him throughout the album's 11 demonstrative tracks that were recorded over three days of live tracking at The Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The resulting effort reveals a warm and organic sound that could be labelled contemporary Appalachian soul while it infuses folk rock with an easy-going bluegrass sway all seamlessly carried by McKeon's notable knack for telling a story.
"Willow Lane" opens the set and opens the door on a slightly sad tale of reminiscing that contemplates the temporary nature of life and love. "Paler Shade of Blue" continues the restless ruminating on the fact that we are all on borrowed time punctuated by banjo, slide guitar and mournful violin that points to the singer's ultimate destination - a six foot box of pine. A depression era work song "Highway 29" follows to hammer home the fact that Talking to Strangers isn't necessarily good time, party music - but it is wrought with expression and is oh so real while it resonates with many satisfying reflections in a smart and intelligent fashion.
On record and in the live setting. McKeon comes across as an easy-going, likable guy in much the same way as his major influences Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, James Taylor and the aforementioned Jackson Browne do. On the strength of Talking to Strangers and its accompanying wide emotional spectrum - it's probably just a matter of time before music fans and critics are talking about Jack in the same breath as all the other classic and current artists that are equal to him in quality and caliber.
Now, we can't wait to see what Jack McKeon has to say next.
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Review by Rockin' Rich Lynch |
Jack McKeon
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