Lucky, Revisited
Self-Released, 2019
8/10
The Virginia songstress returns about a year after her impressive Butter album, and much like the title implies, Karen Jonas brings us 9 tunes from her first 3 albums, plus 2 covers, and they’re stripped down to raw intimacy that’s still plenty frisky and adventurous, too.
“Ophelia” gets the album off to an unexpected start with ultra-quick guitar playing on a barnyard rocker where Jonas shows us that her strong, soulful pipes have never sounded better, and “Lovesick Blues” does justice to the original with some playfulness in the classic Hank Williams tune.
Elsewhere, “Lucky” brings a darker folk spirit to the listen, while Bob Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” is a display of sublime beauty in a hushed setting.
Near the end, “Country Songs” lives up to its title with some warm Nashville twang, and “Money” recruits a shuffling pace along with intricate guitar work for one of the best tracks present. “Gospel Of The Road” finishes the record just as timeless as it started, with vivid storytelling and a bare acoustic guitar accompanying the graceful exit.
Jonas flirts with honky tonk, jazz and, of course, country and Americana with Lucky, Revisited, and even if you’ve heard these songs before on her earlier work, they’re reborn here with plenty of mature, sophisticated and fine tuned fun.
Travels well with: The Lone Bellow- Walk Into A Storm; Ryan Culwell- Flatlands