John Jenkins | Weary | EP review

John Jenkins: Weary

(Self released)

CD | DL | Stream

Out 13th September 2024

Pre-order HERE

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.

You can pre-order the album here or pre-save it here.

You can find John Jenkins on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and his website.

~

All words by Ian Corbridge. You can find more of his writing at his author profile here.