February Album of the Month
It’s only 37 minutes long but it’s also the benchmark album we have been waiting for from Jack J Hutchinson.
The art of a fine album: 10 tracks – the right length. Perfect for two sides of a vinyl (or a ‘record’ as it should be called). A wide range of textures and colours but managed with an economy that also packs a punch. Nothing is too long, there’s no harbour for filler or songs that take too long to roll out of bed. This is a masterfully conceived, well arranged and expertly engineered album. The kitchen sink in 37 minutes, all-in and an album that will leave you wanting to hear it again – and again.
Jack J Hutchinson has been a mainstay of what we have done at Great Music Stories for the last seven or eight years and this, without doubt, is the album that elevates him to best-in-class. Previously his work-rate on studio releases has been commendable, his engagement with fans and media supporters has been sincere and loyal. Bottom line, he’s one of the nicest guys in the business. But this album you don’t judge on Jack being a nice guy, working hard recording, or sounding like part of a rising music scene. This album alone stands tall as a music and brand statement on its own two feet. You don’t buy this album because you follow Jack and buy his stuff out of loyalty. You buy this because it’s a great album.
Two points of note on the genesis of this confident new release. First, it’s a pretty happy album. Since lockdown, Jack’s releases have reflected the dark tunnel we have all been through since Covid and his lockdown live music mirrored an age when live shows without an audience were even thought to be ‘a thing.’ There was a resilience, a darkness – a stoic determination – with these previous releases but with this new album, there’s an upbeat positivity – or hope. It gives the music a greater warmth and ease to engage with – and it also makes the music feel more natural, more authentic. Music should reflect an artist’s view on the world, the mood that underpins an album can never be invented.
The second point of note is this album represents a co-write collaboration between Jack and Josiah J Manning. For me, this is a big plus. Having chronicled the rise of a new rock generation for the last decade, there is a humbleness and a truth in the lot of the DIY musician. But there is also a value that comes from artists working with third parties. If artists just create the music they alone want to write, there can be gems but there can also be plodding. Jack working with someone else on this album – that sense of pushing and challenging each another – has an emphatic impact on what you hear. This album is, in every sense, a Jack album but it’s far more disciplined, focused, economic yet purposeful. And what’s important in the rather saturated music scene today is not the churn of endless new releases, but the arrival of that handful of standout quality albums. And this is exactly what Jack J Hutchinson delivers with ‘Battles.’
A word too on the visual branding around this album. I’ve joked with Jack during our recent interviews about his red trousers, but the presentation of Jack on this album and the associated tour and music posters is more confident, interesting and defined. No more black, no more grainy Wild West pictures, no clichéd thunderbolts of lightning. The dated visual pastiche has gone and in its place we have a contemporary, confident and interesting Jack. And here the artwork and photography is the right signpost for the music that sits inside the album cover.
So, time now for a quick saunter through the songs on the album.
The way an album opens and closes – like a gig setlist – is key for any album and Jack delivers on both counts. We’re straight in with ‘Constellations’ as the album opener – punchy, energetic, crisp – all the hallmarks of well-produced music with a fuller sound. A nice, if short, classic rock-God solo that would befit an arena stage.
In complete contrast, the album closer ‘Stay With Me’ brings the curtain down in memorable fashion. Heartfelt ballads with heart on sleeve is something that Jack has always done so well. There’s an open sense of vulnerability, which gives the song such heart. After all the darkness of Covid, this song is perhaps the light – the life – at the end of the tunnel, as we re-emerge into a new world with the people and memories we hold dear.
For me ‘Days Are Gone’ is GNR guitars meets the vocal style of classic Oasis – and the combination is lovely.
‘Bullets’ had a long run on my rock show and a good showing across radio generally. A song synonymous with fast cars and red trousers. From the radio perspective, this album delivers the best singles on any Jack J Hutchinson album and, for people that don’t like buying music, the streaming numbers for the recent singles has also been impressive.
I often sigh nowadays when a band puts out a song called ‘Road To Hell’ – it’s so overdone and no one’s ever going to overshadow Mr Rea here. That said, this Jack track is very strong. An American flavour, definitely a song for Jack’s cowboy hat. A good storytelling song with a sumptuous whisky-drenched southern rock guitar solo. ‘Road To Hell’ is more panoramic for an album of short songs, but it’s the kind of song Jack does so well.
‘Running On Empty’ is possibly the wheatmeal digestive of the album. That said, matron is partial to a digestive with a cuppa.
‘Rip It Up’ is great fun, possibly a throwback to earlier Jack albums. It feels warmly familiar and has such fluency to it, like a song that just wrote itself. Nice pace, with catchy choruses that just wash into the song, ‘Rip It Up’ works so well without in any way being over-cooked. Likely to be a grower.
‘Love Is The Law’ I gave an early outing to on my Monday rockshow. A hopeful, soothing tonic for troubled times. A looser, less rocky song – but a hopeful song with a hint of soul from Jack. A song for spring and the return of the summer sun for festival season. For me, a standout on the album for being a song that has a strong natural character and doesn’t need to try too hard.
‘Don’t Let The Fuckers Get You Down’ – a resurrection after dark times; a confident song that grows with an empowering growl. Some nice mischievous percussion elements at the start and here Jack’s higher vocal range counterpoints so well against the contrasting guttural guitar and bassline to deliver a song that has real sonic depth.
So often, track 9 on an album is the problem child. The almost-filler song that no one really knows where to put. Not with ‘Overdrive’ – which is a wonderfully directed, tight song that immediately arrests attention. A straight rocker that maintains interest throughout, with strong chorus lines that pull you in.
So there you have it. 10 songs that really deliver.
My only quibble on this album is that while it focuses on impact, purposeful economy and great production – the guitar solos are too short. In the age of streaming and artists chasing national radio play-listings, which is important, it is becoming common across the board for bands to get to choruses quickly, get the riff in early and keep songs short. For this album the tightness of the album is hugely to Jack’s credit, but whilst we get some really great guitar solos from Jack, they are not given the room to breathe they deserve. As a fan of Jack’s lockdown version of ‘War Pigs’, I would have liked one seven-minute track on the album with a nice 3-4 minute signature Jack guitar solo.
Jack has been in the rising scene for a while. Always positive, always supportive of others and a guy who remembers those in the grassroots scene that have supported him. He’s a good guy that works hard and records good music. ‘Battles’ is the album where Jack transitions from nice guy that writes decent music to an artist that has set an album benchmark for 2024. Many others may don their cowboy hats – some may even wonder what wearing a pair of red trousers could do for their fortunes – but not many will release a 2024 album that matches ‘Battles’ for intensity, craft and impact.
‘Battles’ is released on 9th February
Vinyl, CD and bundle pre-orders at: https://eyesoremerch.com/bands/j/jack-j-hutchinson/
See jack on tour this February. Dates at tickets at http://www.bandsintown.com/JackJHutchinson?came_from=203
Listen to archive interviews with Jack
2024 year ahead interview / ‘Battles’ preview
2020 Live Act of the Year interview
