Jonathan Edwards is a singer-songwriter from the U.S., whose career began began in the 60s while playing with different rock, folk, and blues bands while attending Ohio University. Edwards was performing as a solo acoustic artist by the early 1970s, during which time he began to open up for artists such as the Allman Brothers Band and B.B. King. This particular album, Jonathan Edwards (1971), was his first, and featured a song that hit up to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was gold by January of 1972. From what I can tell from a quick glance at the internet, Edwards dipped his toes in many genres like country rock, bluegrass, folk rock, and blues rock, while doing so with a variety of instruments from guitar to harp to bass to harmonica to vocals too. I’m pretty excited to give this one a listen, so with said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Everybody Knows Her” starts out with a really pleasant, quick galloping acoustic guitar to introduce the track. Oh wow, this track is super nice, and seems to contain that quintessential singer/songwriter sound with a seemingly soft soundscape that seems to invite you to listen closer. Great track.
Oh wow, “Cold Snow” starts out a little bit folksier than the previous track, with a quality that reminds me a lot of Paul Simon. Oh wow, the violin comes and seems to grab your attention during a tasty instrumental fill. Edwards’ voice is super intriguing, with a definite southern quality but still has a soft distinctness that almost sounds midwestern to me. Great track.
Oh wow, “Athens County” this tune is super groovy between the upbeat guitar and sweet and soft vocals with the banjo bringing some really rootsy flavors into the track. Oh wow, the harmonica comes on during a bit of extended instrumental jam, seemingly putting an exclamation mark on that bluegrass sound. Holy smokes, this is sweet. Edwards sounds like he might gargle warm water mixed with some honey before each take, as his vocals are super sweet and inviting. Great track.
Oh wow, “Dusty Morning” has a really tasty galloping guitar line keeping the rhythm of the tune grooving along, while the piano brings up a flavorful melody from the background. Holy smokes, this is sweet. I’ll probably say that a few more times throughout this listening experience. Great tune.
“Emma” has a really heartfelt sweet feel right at the onset of the tune as Edwards’ vocals seem to be even more delicate and personal, especially with the warm and weighty playing of the acoustic guitar that keeps the rhythm, while the pedal steel slide guitar brings the flavor of a warm country breeze into the soundscape. Wow, this tune is awesome, and feels once again like a quintessential singer/songwriter tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Shanty” this has a different flavor right away that almost has a blues-tinged rag-inflected acoustic folk rock groove between the rollicking piano lines, the super flavorful bluesy harmonica, and the steady strumming of the acoustic guitar with the steady drums and bass keeping the tune grooving along. Wow, another great track.
“Sunshine” is the hit single that reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 from this album, and almost immediately there’s an infectious flavor with the upbeat groove on top of the seemingly introspective vocals in this one. Oh wow, this tune keeps building even more. That bass line that comes in at the outro brings a whole bunch of great flavor as the tune builds up more momentum until the track comes to an end. Great tune.
Oh wow, “The King” has a more introspective folksy singer/songwriter feel to it, and reminds me a ton of Tim Buckley’s early stuff. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar really frames the background of the tune nicely while the piano grabs your attention with the tasty melodic work at the front of the soundscape, while working off the rhythm that the guitar is laying down. Meanwhile the bass is creating a sweet and sturdy platform for the soundscape as a whole to work off of. Great track.
“Don’t Cry Blue” starts out with some really flavorful bluesy harmonica, and almost has a bit of country groove in the rhythm section with the strong albeit distant backbeat, and the beats that the bass seems to be walking the soundscape along to. Meanwhile, the acoustic guitar gives a reliable pattern that has a nice delicate feel that works well playing off the rhythm section. Great track.
Oh wow, “Jesse” starts out with some really personal, introspective sounds between the gliding piano lines and super sweet and shadowy vocals, all the acoustic guitar plays a really light and reliable chord progression that gently fills the soundscape. Oh wow, the piano fill is super pleasant in that short instrumental break in the tune. Wow, super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Sometimes” starts out with some delicate acoustic arpeggios and some humming from Edwards that sounds like a musical representation of a serene wooded forest, with Edwards’ voice and the guitar being the only man-made thing for hundreds of miles. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Train of Glory” starts out with some ultra swishy and super quick harmonica playing, with Edwards seemingly getting this tune grooving full speed ahead to tie together the album. Oh wow, the gentle chugging of the drums, the soft jangling of the acoustic guitar, and the country bopping of the bass all really make the tune sound like it’s rolling on down some train tracks. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar plays a super tasty lick right at the end to tie together the sing with the last vocal line. Great tune and super sweet way to tie together the album.
Wow, this album was pretty sweet. There were so many different folk and country flavors tied together with a vaguely blues-tinged singer/songwriter style; I’m certainly going to be revisiting some of these tunes soon. The songwriting was really sweet, and this would be one example of an album I would suggest someone to listen to if they wanted to know what I thought the singer/songwriter genre represented. There was both a reserved and enriching quality to the soft flavors of the instrumentation throughout much of the album, which seems to echo the timbre of Edwards’ own voice really well. There were some times where that reserved quality was superseded by super tasty licks and bluesy harmonica, which consistently made me sit on the edge of my seat and listen even closer to the playing. If you enjoy the singer/songwriter genre, and also happen to enjoy folk, country, and blues, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A