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Back to Jerusalem by JP Jones
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fave it Folk Rock | Folk Pop
12 tracks | 49 minutes
Released May 2003
on Vision Company Records
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 00:25 Sculpting By Number lyrics BUY MP3 00:25 Sculpting By Number lyrics "GIFT MP3" 00:25 Sculpting By Number
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:23 Back to Jerusalem lyrics FREE 05:23 Back to Jerusalem lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:23 Back to Jerusalem
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:39 Already Been Thru It lyrics BUY MP3 04:39 Already Been Thru It lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:39 Already Been Thru It
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:12 Red Hot Blue lyrics BUY MP3 05:12 Red Hot Blue lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:12 Red Hot Blue
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:28 Aint that Love lyrics BUY MP3 03:28 Aint that Love lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:28 Aint that Love
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:38 Getting Your Way lyrics BUY MP3 04:38 Getting Your Way lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:38 Getting Your Way
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:23 Works for Me lyrics BUY MP3 04:23 Works for Me lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:23 Works for Me
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:22 As If lyrics BUY MP3 03:22 As If lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:22 As If
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:42 Dream House lyrics BUY MP3 04:42 Dream House lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:42 Dream House
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:22 In My Own Sweet Time lyrics BUY MP3 04:22 In My Own Sweet Time lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:22 In My Own Sweet Time
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:26 Under that Baoboab Tree lyrics BUY MP3 04:26 Under that Baoboab Tree lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:26 Under that Baoboab Tree
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:14 Fancy Guy lyrics BUY MP3 04:14 Fancy Guy lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:14 Fancy Guy
Created with a pallette that includes both acoustic and midi instruments, Back to Jerusalem is a diverse and stunning close-to-pop collection that was named "one of the ten best folk releases of 2000" by Hugh Blumenfeld (www.theballadtree.com)
Editorial review
A couple of things will strike the listener when putting Back to Jerusalem in the CD player. First, this is a sonically rich, complex album, with layers of sound. Next, this sound complements J.P. Jones' rough-hewn vocals and sometimes bizarre, though penetrating, lyrics. Jones apparently built the sound of this album by adding and subtracting different musicians to MIDI tracks until everything jelled. On the first track, "Back to Jerusalem," the listener is introduced to Jones' somewhat wry, jaundiced point of view. The narrator's trip back to the holy city is wrought with danger -- including possible crucifixion -- and there's no redemption in sight. These songs, and a number of others, are filled with religious symbolism and the search for religious meaning. "Under That Baoboab Tree" carries the intriguing lines, "Just like Jesus chewin' gum/Beating on his favorite drum/I'll be ready when the callin' comes to me." Jones clearly believes that god -- whoever or whatever he or she is -- has a sense of humor. Other pieces like "Already Been Thru It" and "Fancy Guy" manage to sing about how to live simply without a trace of pretension. It should be noted that the songs on Back to Jerusalem also have memorable melodies and good choruses. Criticisms? Only that Jones isn't quite up to date when he turns his lyrical pen toward women. "Getting Your Way" has the lovely lines, "Your heart is a desert/You whore with your head/You couldn't make love/With a saint in your bed." Like Bob Dylan, no matter how one dresses up a lyric, a putdown song is still a putdown. This aside, Back to Jerusalem is good album full of songs with something to say, and will be appreciated by lovers of contemporary folk music. ~ Ronnie Lankford Jr., All Music Guide
Bio / Background
In Brief:
Expertly crafted songs with arrangements first sketched out as midi files then layered with acoustic overdubs, Back to Jerusalem is a diverse and stunning, close-to-pop collection that was named one of the "ten best folk releases of 2000" by Hugh Blumenfeld's about.folkmusic.com website. First and foremost a songwriter's record, Jones brings grace and conviction to each performance while setting each piece in a brilliant and uniquely produced soundscape.
Quote:
"For JP Jones the true lover is an incendiary radical and the faithful artist is a prophet standing against whoever or whatever enslaves the human spirit. Like Leonard Cohen's "The Future," "Back to Jerusalem" has an epic sweep both musically and lyrically, shot through with a satirical wit and unexpected tenderness. And though the poet's voice sometimes cracks, sometimes wavers, his vision never does. -- Hugh Blumenfeld, www.balladtree.
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