The Southwest Sky And Other Dreams. Karen Jonas

A new record by Karen Jonas and as always it is welcome. Including her most recent record that reimagined older work based on years of playing together, this is her fifth studio album and again she shows the progression all her albums have shown.

The Southwest Sky and Other Dreams is Karen Jonas' most mature album to date. In the sound she has moved towards a more standard form of country and Americana. Bringing her great and beautiful voice to a well-trodden realm, to show the competition what she's capable of and then some.

This means that the kind of exuberant Jonas songs like 'Oklahoma Lottery' and 'Butter' are no longer on the record. Instead a beautiful song like 'Maybe You'd Hear Me Then' comes by. A kind of song that I must have heard a thousand variations of through the years and yet I'm smitten immediately. Everything tells me this is the real thing. No doubts at all.

In the meantime so many styles in Americana come by and Karen Jonas has mastered them all. With her musical partner Tim Bray on electric guitar duties showing off his chops all over the album, she has a firm pillar beside her. There's really no predicting what he will play. Take the extremely dark notes he starts his solo with in 'Farmer John'. I did not see that one coming for sure. Speaking of a bluesy song with another great and seductive vocal.

Perhaps the exuberance has been put to rest some, there's still a lot of diversity to be found on The Southern Sky ... From country rock and roll and pure country to country ballads. With some heartfelt introspection in the lyrics of 'Better Days'. When introspection leads to something as beautiful as this song, I wish the level of honesty on display here on everyone. The world would certainly be a better place because of it.

The ballads have the overhand in the second part of the album. Another aspect that I had not expected as Karen Jonas usually diversifies her albums more. A slowly crying pedal steel guitar is howling with the wolves in the dark woods.

When I start the album again the one really true country song starts again. 'The Last Cowboy (at The Bowling Alley)' is a beautiful song full of restraint, underscored by the acoustic guitar solo. This song is so well balanced. The vocal between amazement and admiration for the stamina in a place where there's no more place for a cowboy. In this section the singles come by that have been discussed on this blog before, contributing to the high level of musicianship on display and a great start for the whole album. There's no disappointment for a single second there after.

It's 2020, it's my sixth Karen Jonas album (including The Parlor Soldiers) and again I'm totally fulfilled. With The Southwest Sky and Other Dreams she has delivered a style wise more consistent album than ever before, but again one soaring at great heights. There's only one wish left, to see her play live one day. For that a lot has to change unfortunately. So start out by buying her records and support her that way. In fact, the clear blue vinyl of the LP will help you dream of those southwestern skies as well. Dreaming of a kind that I wish Karen Jonas manages to keep doing. In that case there will be so much more great music for us in store.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy The Southwest Sky And Other Dreams here:

https://karenjonasmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-southwest-sky-and-other-dreams


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g