XOXO
Sham/Thirty Tigers, 2020
10/10
Here in Minnesota we truly embrace and admire the musical legends from the Land f 10,000 Lakes, and even though the long running and seminal outfit The Jayhawks will never see the fame of, say, Prince or Bob Dylan, I feel quite comfortable saying they’ve written some of the best songs in the history of recorded music across their 35 year career.
XOXO, their 11th studio, brings a line up of Karen Grotberg, Gary Louris, Marc Perlman and Tim O’Reagan, as the luminaries deliver a very diverse effort where all 4 members take up lead vocals at some point and contribute songwriting, too.
“This Forgotten Town” starts the listen in familiar Jayhawks territory with warm guitar and gritty yet tuneful vocals from Louris that are supported by O’Reagan and Grotberg as keys and percussion enter the strong rootsy opener, while “Dogtown Days” dives into a louder display of spirited rock’n’roll fun with thumping drums and plenty of power-pop energy that would make Alex Chilton smile in his grave.
A record where every song could be your favorite, “Ruby” radiates graceful piano in the Grotberg sung and pedal steel friendly atmosphere, and “Society Pages” glides with a retro indie-rock appeal as Americana nods are present and appreciated. “Bitter Pill” might be the quintessential Jayhawks tune, where harmonizing vocals, a memorable chorus and rugged yet pretty instrumentation brings in John Jackson on mandolin.
Deeper cuts offer us the soulful swagger of “Little Victories”, as well as the gentle strumming of O’Reagan’s masterpiece, “Looking Up Your Number”. The limited edition version offers 3 bonus tracks, which of course are worth seeking out, and includes the organ led, gospel approach of “Jewel Of The Trimbelle”, and “Hypocrite’s Lament” finishes out the exit with a lovely duet where a harmonica adds much to the mood.
The Jayhawks have played several genres since their inception, including baroque-pop, alt-country, anglophile tinted rock and classic folk, among others. Here, they incorporate all those ideas into another superb and timeless record in their glowing catalog that is certainly their most democratic, eclectic, and adventurous to date.
Travels well with: The Long Ryders- Psychedelic Country Soul; John Hiatt- The Eclipse Sessions