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Reviewed by Bing Turkby

JerseyBob & Our Monika: Lookin’ For The Light

Reviewed by Bing Turkby

JerseyBob & Our Monika: Lookin’ For The Light

The album’s titular song Lookin’ For The Light kicks off like early Bob Dylan (sans extremely nasal vocals). Endearingly ramshackle, the rhythm and vocals sometimes go a bit iffy. But after all, the point of a folky confessional is the soulful delivery, the wailing harmonica and the meaningful lyrics – which JerseyBob delivers in spades on this digital release. Notes on that song reveal ‘… Lots of travelling around the world searching for the one. She was right under my nose.’ The next tune is a delicate fingerpicked acoustic instrumental which arrived after reading Nick Drake’s autobiography. The tune is a cracker with a sunny feel, but (being picky) does seem slightly rushed in places, not quite given the space it deserves to unfurl. Tickled Pink, another instrumental, avoids this trap by being lifted into the stratosphere with a crescendo of percussion. Here you can feel the full majesty and emotion of the tune. When JerseyBob (Robert Vincent) sings, his lyrics display the requisite folky observational qualities but he avoids being over-earnest by throwing in the odd cheeky pun. As a duo, JB and OM keep things interesting by varying the instrumentation, even mixing it up with an a cappella number. Great song notes and kudos too for including the guitar tunings and capo settings used.

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