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JAY-JAY JOHANSON, "POISON"
While I hate dropping other bands' names in reviews (especially of things I love), I must mention this fact while reviewing this CD: the only time I drive through Bridgeport is heading down to New York.
That out of the way, this is the third full-lengther for Scandinavian Jay-Jay Johanson, a singer/songwriter/musician who has found fame in France - but not many other places. I was riding in my car listening to the local college station I spin for when I heard one of his tracks, "Poison." I had to pull over and call to find out what it was that was being played. The DJ told me that he had to order these CDs from FNAC (a French chain) as he's big in France but not exported much. Lucky for me, there was a FNAC in the center of Barcelona, where I purchased all three of his releases. For all of the albums, the formula stays pretty constant. While it's hard to get away from the highly derivative sound from his albums, his voice does bleed with much more heart and emotion than is usually heard in similar trip-hop beatbox style music. Guests on this third album like Robin Guthrie on guitars has helped it only slightly as the groove, feel and spirit pick up where the second album left off. This as well as his other two CDs, "Whiskey" and "Tattoo" have not left my CD player since I've got them and come with high recommendations to seek them out wherever you may find them...
That out of the way, this is the third full-lengther for Scandinavian Jay-Jay Johanson, a singer/songwriter/musician who has found fame in France - but not many other places. I was riding in my car listening to the local college station I spin for when I heard one of his tracks, "Poison." I had to pull over and call to find out what it was that was being played. The DJ told me that he had to order these CDs from FNAC (a French chain) as he's big in France but not exported much. Lucky for me, there was a FNAC in the center of Barcelona, where I purchased all three of his releases. For all of the albums, the formula stays pretty constant. While it's hard to get away from the highly derivative sound from his albums, his voice does bleed with much more heart and emotion than is usually heard in similar trip-hop beatbox style music. Guests on this third album like Robin Guthrie on guitars has helped it only slightly as the groove, feel and spirit pick up where the second album left off. This as well as his other two CDs, "Whiskey" and "Tattoo" have not left my CD player since I've got them and come with high recommendations to seek them out wherever you may find them... samples:
