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Jason McNiff seems to have always written music on his terms, this is especially evident on Everything’s A Song–he has once again delivered an album of the finest contemporary roots music; it’s another absolute gem.
It hardly seems that two years have passed since Jason McNiff’s Tonight We Ride covers album was reviewed here in KLOF Mag, and even more incredible that it is three since his wonderful Dust of Yesterday hit the racks. Yet the imminent release of his ninth album, Everything’s A Song, clearly shows that he has used the time judiciously and has come up with another absolute gem.
Born in Bradford, following studying in Nottingham for his first degree, where he developed an interest in the folk and blues guitar playing of the likes of Wizz Jones and Davey Graham; from 1995 Jason lived for some 20-odd years in London, where, as has been well-documented, his finger-picking apprenticeship was honed thanks to regular exposure to Bert Jansch at Soho’s 12 Bar Club, together with also undertaking support slots for the guitar maestro. Since moving to Hastings in 2019, where he has established regular Friday Sundowner Sessions at The Jenny Lind pub, he has continued to play live extensively, including shows with ‘poetry in music’ paying homage to another of his significant influences, Leonard Cohen.
Everything’s A Song comprises nine new compositions, eight penned by Jason and one jointly credited, alongside one traditional song delivered in English translation. Produced and engineered by Matt Armstrong at his King’s Road Studio in St.Leonards, the album was recorded in the late summer and autumn of 2023 and mastered by Nick Siddall.
Jason provides guitars, organ, and vocals; he is joined by Matt on drums and double bass, along with fellow musicians Richard Moore on violin and Jude Montague on organ and vocals.
The album’s modus operandi is explained by Jason as one involving disciplined early morning 8.00 a.m. starts and strong coffee before “we would rehearse up a song and once it felt ready, we would press record”. The resultant sound reflects this ‘almost live’ recording technique; very little studio manipulation or production is in evidence, and the essence of both the music and lyrics shines through with a refreshing, dynamic clarity.
Whilst feted particularly in the Americana sphere, I think Jason seems to have always written music on his terms, possibly oblivious to pigeon-holing genre labels. After all, one could just as easily place him within the ‘folk’ realm, and thus, the broader singer-songwriter or modern-day troubadour descriptors might be more apposite.
As a possessor of degrees in both English Literature and Modern Languages, it is no surprise that lyrics and the use of language have always been a marked feature of his work. That particular trait continues in this release, where even the opening and closing song titles, Song Of Everything and Everything’s A Song, have excellent lexical symmetry.
Song of Everything is a genuinely accomplished song. If ever an opening track was designed to entice the listener not only to continue listening to the prevailing album but also to delve further into an artist’s catalogue, then this indeed has to be it. Over nigh-on five minutes, the initial, crystalline Spanish guitar notes and sonorous vocals gradually develop as further, lush-sounding guitars enter the fray and, in a memorably melodic refrain, the lyrics inform us that “This is my song of everything that the heart can take, the soul can sing.” Riveting listening.
The relaxed, laid-back feeling engendered in Run Away With The Circus sees a slowing of the tempo. This time, electric guitar and drum beats kick things off, and Jason’s vocals, here more spoken than sung, are graced, in two or three-second bursts, by Jude’s celestial-sounding embellishments. This gentle, atmospheric vibe is continued in These Dreams Of You, with its dreamy, almost ethereal, opening chords and shimmering electric guitar. Not for the last time on this release, Jason also delivers a sumptuous guitar solo in a song which references natural elements such as the moon, clouds and the wind as he considers
These dreams of you
Telling me some kind of truth
Shape shifting but never bent
I’m embarrassed by them
The above-mentioned Americana musical affinity is patently present in My Mississippi, a song Jason tells us is inspired by Huckleberry Finn. The twist, as perhaps we have come to expect from such a witty and cultivated writer, is that he sings of the River Thames. The opening drum beats and Duane Eddy-like guitar sounds create the Americana sensibility as the song transports us from Richmond to Blackfriars via various other locations. With another fine guitar solo that one could imagine being extemporised in a live setting, we are also treated to a majestic, swirling Hammond organ.
Bella Ciao is the only non-original track on the album. This song of freedom and resistance is a traditional one which probably originated in the late 19th century with the mondina, female paddy field workers in Northern Italy, before, in the mid-1950s, becoming sung worldwide as an anti-fascist hymn. Its inclusion here is, again, perhaps not surprising given Jason’s academic background, together with the fact that he is also married to an Italian. The version presented here, with the lyrics in English translation, is the more recent Partisan one, rather than the original mondine. In a fascinating interpretation, Jason imbibes a smoky, blues feel, perfectly reflected by the opening line, “ I woke up this morning…” his vocal delivery and phrasing exemplify why he has often been compared to Leonard Cohen.
High-quality narrative story-telling in song form has always been a feature of Jason’s writing. I have previously described his work, for example, Damaged Woman and A Load Along, as being in the same vein as Harry Chapin or Al Stewart. On Everything’s A Song, this skill is manifested most notably on Chef Song. Too much detail of the lyrical content would be a spoiler, but suffice it to say that the story woven by Jason, involving a protagonist and his murky secret, a chef and an impending marriage, paints a vivid picture of what might be construed as either a dark song or one of redemption, “I’ve seen my heart’s darkness and it made me a better man.” This track also benefits greatly from the superb jazzy, Balkan gypsy, Stephan Grapelli-type violin from Richard Moore.
The only instrument track on the album, Wedding Dance, is a revelation. With the violin again to the fore, alternating with the organ, the listener is presented with a gentle, lilting, almost Celtic-sounding tune in which atmospheric changes in tone, timbre, and volume create a compelling evocation of celebration.
The picked acoustic guitar notes within True Love, Freedom once more demonstrate Jason’s playing dexterity. The vocal delivery within the verses here brings to mind Tom Waits, whilst another memorable chorus is delivered in a higher register in this very much stripped-back piece.
The penultimate song, No Good For You, returns to a slower tempo, with a smouldering organ slightly lower in the mix. This provides a perfect background to the wide, expansive electric guitar, on which Jason performs a scintillating solo.
All too soon, we come to the final title track. The first co-write between Jason and Gibraltarian Gabriel Moreno, with whom he has been friends since they met in 2011, and his musical partner in the “Waiting For The Miracle” Leonard Cohen shows. This is another upbeat, up-tempo, jaunty song with more lashings of swirling Hammond and instruments melding and blending in perfect harmony. Jason tells us that this track began life in a country pub in Goudhurst, a place I know well, being a couple of miles from my home in Kent. The song is certainly Americana infused, but once more so very English, with references to barmaids, cricket matches and meadowlarks, and as the music slowly fades, we are left to ruminate on Jason’s final, spoken comment as to whether indeed “Everything’s a song.”
Regarding his approach to making this album, McNiff says, “Everything’s a Song really is my manifesto. I don’t believe there is such a thing as a mundane experience. I believe everything can be turned into Art, into a song.” As I said above, Jason McNiff seems to have always written music on his terms; this is especially evident on Everything’s A Song. He has once again delivered an album of the finest contemporary roots music; it’s another absolute gem.
Everything’s A Song (7th June 2024) Tombola Records (Vinyl, CD & Digital).
Pre-Order via Rough Trade: https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/product/jason-mcniff/everythings-a-song
