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JONATHAN
GREGG
Unconditional
JAGDISC 008 (50 min.)
Performance:
Personable
Recording: Fine
Jonathan
Gregg, a songwriter in the enriched mode of Marshall Crenshaw
and Jules Shear, plays sophisticated pop for not-so-now people;
he's definitely more word-of-mouth thant flavor-of-the-month.
On his second album, the pop aspect — the engaging melodies,
the seamless flow, the enviable knack for a clever turn of
phrase — is what pulls you in. but the sophisticated
aspect — his complex, craftsmanlike guitar work, the
compulsive intellect driving it all — is what keeps a
discriminating listener coming back for more.
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Beyond
the delectable choruses and indelible hooks, the big payoffs
in these songs are the guitar solos, cleanly articulated jewels
of self-expression that recall Richard Thompson's piercing
six-string epiphanies. Their tone and temperament are unfailingly
suited to the emotional subtext of the songs, such as the
tremulous wow-and-flutter of the brief but tasty solo in A
Bit of Mrs. Jones, a tale of seduction whose particulars
bring to mind the scenario of The Graduate.
Lightly
dusted with a hint of country, a dash of reggae, and a soupçon
of shameless Sixties popcraft, Gregg's songs take off from
familiar reference points but land in places he can proudly
claim as his own. A good time is guaranteed — unconditionally.
~P.P.
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