The Rented Tuxedo & Other Songs
Walksly, 2021
9/10
Listen to The Rented Tuxedo & Other Songs
Jon Patrick Walker has been releasing music for almost a decade now, and he’s quickly making quite a name for himself as a very atypical folk artist, as evidenced by these very unique 9 originals recorded in Nashville that might just remind you of Bowie, Springsteen and The Fab Four.
“Auto-Tune My Love” starts the listen with a very retro sort of twang as Walker’s smooth pipes guide the rural melodies that benefit from steel guitar, and “The Stars, The Moon & The Sun” follows with aching pedal steel complementing the expressive singing and frisky drumming.
Elsewhere, “All-Night Diner” welcomes warm acoustic strumming amid the graceful piano and strong attention to atmosphere amid the dramatic climate, while “Blackwater Street” enters folk and blues areas that benefit from a mysterious quality that’s even a bit haunting, too.
“Station Wagon” emits nostalgic pop near the end, which brings us back to the ‘60s in all the best ways, and “Love To You” exits the listen with some psychedelia nods present alongside the cozy melodies and clever song craft.
A fascinating album where each track differs from the previous one, though Walker makes his living as a TV, film and Broadway actor, with consistently interesting releases like this, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if songwriting becomes his full time gig, cause one spin of The Rented Tuxedo & Other Songs quickly becomes a dozen, and then you’ll find yourself exploring his back catalog…
Travels well with: Jake Winstrom- Circles; Oberon Rose- Holographic Blues