One Of These Days
Soundly, 2024
8/10
An esteemed singer-songwriter who has gone through a rough patch recently, Cris Jacobs pens 11 personal songs here, where an excellent cast helps guide him through a distinct version of Americana that is quite heartfelt.
“Heavy Water” opens the listen with no lack of bluegrass spirit, where Jeremy Garrett’s swift fiddle suits the gospel fueled backing vocals and Jacobs’ warm pipes, and “Wild Roses And Dirt” follows with a dreamy mood, where pretty singing and gorgeous pedal steel make for a hazy intimacy.
The title track lands in the middle, and uses Sam Bush’s meticulous mandolin and Ashby Frank’s well time harmony vocals, while “Lifetime To Go” recruits Lee Ann Womack’s gorgeous vocals that suit Travis Book’s agile bass plucking.
Arriving close to the end, “Codl, Cold Walls” benefits much from The McCrary Sisters, whose well timed voices add much soul to the rich album highlight, and “Everybody’s Lost” exits with focus on Jacobs’ eloquent storytelling, as Chris Pandolli’s banjo and Andy Hall’s dobro contribute much to the light melodies.
Jacobs’ backing band, The Infamous Stringdusters, pull of an excellent performance, where blues, gospel, folk and bluegrass ideas are all applied evenly and meticulously for this therapeutic and relatable body of work.
Travels well with: Jonah Tolchin- Dockside; Kitchen Dwellers- Wise River