The Restless. Karen Jonas

With The Restless Karen Jonas sets a new standard. This line sort of says it all.

Go back to the very start of this blog and you will find duo The Parlor Soldiers' 'When The Dust Settles' as the first reviewed album all the way back in February 2012. Sort of a coincidence of course but also a conscious choice as the album, despite being just outside of my musical comfort zone, made a huge impression on me. Ever since then Karen Jonas featured on this blog. With The Restless it's no different.

The Fredricksburg, Virginia based singer never was afraid to explore the edges of her music of choice, which is best described as country. On The Restless however the elastic bands are not stretched, they are severed. Don't worry, there's more than enough sounding familiar, there's also a lot more.

Guitarist Tim Bray explores even more styles of soloing and graduates on every course followed with flying colours. His warm style of playing makes The Restless shine even more while serving Karen Jonas in a way that should make her (and him) a star. This comment is just the beginning of describing the warm sound of The Restless. For example, there is a great piano. Listen how the instrument blends and meanders all through that beautiful ballad and single 'Lay Me Down'. Or, the warm Hammond in 'Elegantly Wasted', one of the more traditional songs on the album. In 'That's Not My Dream Couch' a gypsy kind of song enters Karen Jonas' universe, reminding me of Vaya Con Dios' 'Nah-Neh-Nah'. Again I'm amazed by what Tim Bray presents me with. The dobro in 'Throw Me To The Wolves' makes a song sound totally different once again. Keys and dobro played by Jay Sterling.

This brings me back to the ease with which Karen Jonas is singing. She sounds so relaxed, more rested than restless. This reflects on the mood of The Restless, which often is laidback and concentrated on playing beautiful songs. Love is in the air, to quote John Paul Young, going by some of the lyrics. 'Forever' perhaps is the best example of this mood. "I'll love you always", is the best line one can share with a partner and Karen presents it to hers for all to hear.

The first single of The Restless is what really is a change in style. 'Rock The Boat' came by in the single overview of a couple of months ago, but is special enough to mention again. Dark, pregnant with doom and played in a great way. A slide guitar putting in the eerie element, the 1930s mike effect a ghostly atmosphere. What is going on here?, is the question everyone would ask himself confronted with this mood in real life. Karen Jonas lets us escape with 'Drunken Dreamer'.

Ten years into her solo career Karen Jonas has reached another high. The Restless is one of the best records I've ever heard in this genre. She plays with the format and steps outside of it just as easily. On her new album her songs are of a consistently high level and then some. Even from this elevated position she manages peaks that are extraordinary, in her (jazzy) ballads, 'We could Be Lovers', to the already mentioned 'Lay Me Down' and 'Rock The Boat', not to forget the two opening songs 'Paris Breeze' and 'The Breakdown'. As I already wrote, "With The Restless Karen Jonas sets a new standard. This line sort of says it all".

Wout de Natris

 

You can listen to and order The Restless here:

https://karenjonasmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-restless