I never listened to Edgar Jones Jones’s first solo album when it came out. I read all the reviews, I saw it on lots of the end of the year charts, people i love and trust kept raving about it. It was even nominated for the Mercury, wan’t it?
Still, i didn’t give it a chance. For some reason – even though I knew and had dug Edgar’s previous work in The Stairs and as a brief member of The Saint Etienne Live Experience – I was convinced that Edgar’s solo album was gonna sound just like The White Stripes. Why? Propbably just because everyone kept mentioning them in the reviews of Edgars album.
Almost a year later, listening to records pretty late one night in a friends house in Kensal Rise, the host just said ”have you heard this?”.
And he put it on. Jesus.
This was something else. It sounded like nothing around. It still does. And so does his new album.
From the Bo Diddley beat of The Way It Is to the rocksteady riddim of Mellow Down Pussycat and the new groupversion of that oustanding timeless groove of More That You’ve Ever Had. Who else would even dare to go so deep into some of the most beautiful and intense music created in New Orleans, in the Sly Stone mansion in the Beverly Hills, on the outskirts of Kingston or those fingeclickin’ doo-wop harmionies on a street corner in Chicago?
It’s about time Fats Domino, Mac Rebbenack and The Meters open an embassy in Liverpool.
As Nick Lowe recently said – anyone can Rock, but very few know how to Roll. We’ll do anything to find the Roll. M.I.A and Lethtal Bizzle both looked to The Clash to sample some Roll to their new albums.
Edgar ”Jones” Jones doesn’t have to sample anything. He already has the Roll flowing through every bone of his body.
AL
