The Bones of J.R. Jones - Slow Lightning

Slow Lightning, the fifth album from The Bones of J.R. Jones, was born not out of a sudden moment. Brewing slowly since the release of his 2018 album Ones To Keep Close, Jonathon Linaberry has carved and crafted another emotionally explicit and mature record that thrives in it's disquiet nature.

The range of sounds that the record offers is pleasantly seamless and considered. Linaberry eases from the weary Autumnal folk of 'Animals' into the sinful, mechanic jive of 'Heaven Help Me' with fidgety yet purposeful desire.

Frequent collaborator Kiyoshi Matsuyama's production channels that restlessness into something musically raw and exposing - unafraid to layer Linaberry's tracks with a variety of sounds and feelings, they hone his tempestuousness. It makes for a surprisingly placating listen - Linaberry's edginess crafting something serrated yet fulfilling.

That feeds into his lyricism, with Linaberry coming across as a hardened veteran of life's hurdles who still has a desire to continue making those leaps. 'Salt Sour Sweet' encapsulates this, with Linaberry looking back on his life and it's ups and downs and documenting it with an acute sense of the present, never giving up on what could be around the corner.

Sage yet inquisitive, Slow Lightning jolts you when you least expect it. As you bathe in it's vast, escapist sounds, Linaberry lingers there within the deep, nonchalantly reminding you that the restlessness that inhabits us is what makes us feel alive.

7.5/10

The Bones of J.R. Jones' 2023 album, Slow Lightning, is out now October via Tone Tree Music.