Happy Blue- Jones (2015)

When it comes to seeking to praise an artist's musical output, you rarely see the word "Consistent" used. For one thing, if you're aiming for consistency in music, it doesn't feel at first glance as if you've set the bar very high and it can become a byword for lack of adventure. I have actually nothing against Chris Rea, for example, and throughout the 80s, he was a consistent artist. But I probably would score all of the albums he made in that period 6.5-7 out of 10 and they all felt like they were from the same mould. Good, solid but that was about it. At the other end of the scale, the word "Consistent" can be used in the sarcastic sense. take Status Quo for example. For many years, they could be termed as consistent in that they effectively made the same record, just called it a different name!

However, if you start talking about an artist being "Consistently Excellent", then that's a different kettle of fish altogether. Be honest for a minute, think of your favourite singers and groups. If you made a list of your Top 5 albums, how many of your favourite artists would make that list every time they released an album. I would venture to suggest very few. Most artists at best make an average record every now and then, at worst, they may chuck in an absolute clunker. Furthermore, let's be honest, many of our favourites tend to go off the boil as the years advance.

Looking back over the past ten years, only one artist has made my Top 5 with each of the 6 albums he has released, indeed 5 made my Top 3. Only Miranda Lambert in that period would have come anywhere near close. That artist is Trevor Jones, both as part of the Miracle Mile with the multi talented Marcus Cliffe or as a solo artist, Jones (albeit again aided and abetted by Mr Cliffe).

I appreciate that the reaction from many may be "I'm sorry, who?" because sadly, Trevor, in my view, is the most criminally overlooked artist off recent times. Scandalously deprived of both airplay and coverage in the music press, he continues to produce stunning album after stunning album but he remains an unnecessarily well kept secret. I am frankly at a loss to explain why this is, apart from descending into a rant about how the media in all its myriad forms continues to foist soulless dreck and arty drivel on us while real talent ploughs a lone furrow unnoticed. It's not as if these records aren't commercial in the best sense of the word, in that they contain all the ingredients that should make an album attractive to people, lovely melodies, strong tunes that stick in the mind, memorable lyrics, wonderfully and skilfully played and clearly and appropriately produced. All the Great Stuff!

Anyway, leaving the injustice aside for one moment, from a personal perspective, "Happy Blue" was my most eagerly anticipated record of 2015. However, whisper it quietly, I had started to wonder if Trevor could maintain the extremely high standards that he had set himself. In all seriousness this level of consistency was unheard of in my experience. Surely soon or later the level had to dip surely and an album pop out that wasn't quite "there". Two things made me wonder if "Happy Blue" was going to be "That One" before I had even heard a note. Firstly, his last two albums were the best of his career, which was saying something. 2013 "In Cassidy's Care" by the Miracle Mile was a sumptuous record which told the story of the titular Cassidy who met the love of his life and then tracked the relationship as it fell gradually apart and left Cassidy reflecting on his life. If that sounds heavy (or alarmingly like a concept album) rest assured, it was not. Trevor's music is both happy and sad, melancholic and uplifting at the same time. It felt like a career highlight which was then matched by 2014's "To The Bone". I have to admit I was surprised that Trevor followed up "In Cassidy's Care" so quickly. Surprised but also delighted. "To the Bone" was a completely different record. Stripped down (as the name implies) both musically and emotionally, it was a wonderfully intimate record and contained in my mind Trevor's finest two songs to date, the opener "Phil The Hat" and the stunningly beautiful "Fireworks"

The other reason why I wondered if Trevor would hit the bar was that 2015  has been a very strong year for new albums. Scarcely a week goes by without another fine record being released. Old Marsh favourites doing the business, new acts making a mark and long forgotten artists coming back strong. If Trevor was going to make an impression in amongst all this, he would have to bring his "A Game"

When the album dropped through the letterbox, I was away on holiday with the family.The time away had been great but I have to admit that I was keen to get home solely so I could hear the album! It has to be said that I always lock myself away with a new Jones record, accompanied by a bottle or two of ale. His records always demand and indeed deserve ones complete attention. Acknowledging that this sounds sad, I initially sat, holding the album, worried that it wouldn't meet my hopes (because you always want your favourites to make another great record!).

I needn't have worried!

I shall cut straight to the chase and state that "Happy Blue" is a truly magnificent album. Having lived with it for a month, I think it is fair to say that it is Trevor's best record to date. Which is clearly saying something. Far from letting standards slip the bar had been raised again.

In my view Trevor Jones is one of great writers of human emotions in song, both through lyrics and melodies. He writes about the things that matters, love, loss, memories, how the past shapes us and so on and he wraps it up in tunes that are often both melancholic and yet at the same time hopeful. "Happy Blue" is not only an apt title for this album but could sum up the his music as a whole. What gives this record additional weight and emotional resonance is that recently Trevor's father passed away. This event and memories of his father is a key theme of the record and contribute to its overall shape, particularly through the bookending opening and closing pieces "First" and "Last" (The titles something of a giveaway) and the Track "Battersea Boy", more of which later.

One thing I have found with a lot of albums recently is that the sequencing of tracks is often bizarre and the resultant record often fails to hang together. By contrast "Happy Blue" is one of the best sequenced records in recent memory. It flows from one track to the next. Furthermore, it hangs together as a piece and is a record that demands to be played all the ways through; rare of course in these days on i-tunes and being to purchase a few tracks here and there. What also assists in this regard is that the quality of the songs is consistently high, there is not one track that you would wish to skip here.

The end result is a record that you can truly emerse yourself in. In that  sense it draws comparison with the Blue Nile's "Hats" and in particular songs off that record like "Downtown Lights" and "Headlights on the Parade". This is not an album that you can just put on in the background, it demands (albeit very gently) your attention and draws you in. For fear of repeating myself, much credit here has to go to both the quality of the playing which is at a tremendously high level throughout and the extraordinary production which is both crystal clear and sensitive. Hats of to both Trevor and Marcus for a fantastic job in that regard.

Given the fact that this is such a complete album, it feels almost contradictory to single out particular tracks, especially as my favourites are already changing regularly so I am sure that I will look back in a few weeks and go "No...........I missed out (insert track here)". However, I feel I should mention the following:

The first two tracks proper, "Ghost of Song" and the title track "Happy Blue" itself set the stall out for the record and make it clear about the very high standard that we are looking at here, both musically and lyrically. If we lived in an age when anyone other than mainstream commercial dance pop acts released singles, both would be strong contenders!

"Naked As Adam" is a change in mood, in that it is almost playful, something which is drawn out by the inventive use of brass and is a clear indication that there will be no let up in quality.

If somebody said to me "So why should I listen to Trevor Jones, then?" I would play them "Weakness and Wine". Frankly, it's 2 minutes, 53 second of pure perfection! Backed largely by Marcus on Piano and some delightful Pedal Steel , Trevor's lyrics are superb throughout. If, by the time Trevor quotes James Joyce "They lived and laughed and loved and left" and you don't have a lump in your threat, there is a chance that you are either Simon Cowell or clinically dead!

Again, many recent albums have tended to be front loaded and tail off towards the end. Here though, if anything, the quality is even higher in the second half (Vinyl's making a come back, I can refer to second half's!). "Cartwheels" jumps out because musically and structurally it's quite unlike anything Trevor has ever done before. I'm not sure if it's the sparse instrumentation or Lucinda Drayton's lovely backing vocals but it reminds me of "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel!

And coming back to the subject of singles, I would love to hear "St Celicia" on the radio (Heck, I'd love to hear any of this album on the radio but you know what I mean). A beautifully simple and sweet (in the best senses of the term) song.

Which brings us to "Battersea Boy", which is both a tribute to Trevor's dad and a reflection of his impact on Trevor's life. It is at this point that I am in danger of going over the top in my praise!! Quite simply, this is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. As someone who has lost both parents, the song rings clear and true. Furthermore, the instrumentation which is subtle and exquisite complements the song perfectly. When it reaches the end you want both to cry and applaud, it's a wonderful achievement.

The danger after such a high is that the record could tail off because "Battersea Boy" could overshadow it. Whilst neither of the two remaining songs are a match for "Battersea Boy" (Few songs are!), they are still of a very high quality and culminate the album, along with the closing coda "Last" perfectly. "Misbegotten Moon" is underpinned by some more delightful pedal steel guitar and what sounds like a steel drum (but, apologising for my musical ignorance, I appreciate probably isn't!!). "My Muffled Prayer" is a beautiful, wistful final song. The lyrics reflective and lovely. the instrumentation again subtle and delightful. The musical coda at the end, particularly when the hammond comes in reminds me of the end of the "Days before rock and roll" by Van Morrison. Finally we have "Last" which is an extended echo of "First" with some beautifully spoken words by Trevor over music by (I believe) Marcus and Gustaf Lunggren.

And then we're done! And I simply want to go and put the record on again!

Coming back to my original point, I can only stand and marvel at the extraordinary consistency that Trevor has shown in his career, this records are stunning and each release brings fresh treasures and pleasures. I would recommend "Happy Blue" wholeheartedly and unreservedly. Buy a copy, pour yourself a glass of something pleasurable. put the album on and prepare to lose yourself in some of the finest music you will hear!