Laurence Jones Band

Laurence Jones Band

toP StoP MuSiC

Grown-up blues from a young head on old shoulders.

The question of authenticity in blues has long been obsolete. Hardly anyone currently working in the genre has been through the kind of hardships that the founders suffered, and instead they stand as custodians. So while Jones, the millennial poster boy for the future of blues, asserts ‘I’ve been hurt, I’ve been troubled, I’ve been down on my luck’ on the tastefully rollicking Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, on his new album there’s a sense of celebration and carrying the torch.

Just 27 years old, Jones has a maturity beyond his years, with each track here tastefully crafted, although he allows himself to let rip in a blaze of guitar histrionics on I Am Waiting, and strips things down to blues basics on the ultratraditional Long Long Lonely Ride. A cover of The Beatles’ Day Tripper feels a little pointless, but overall there’s a sense that he’s ready to step into the shoes of Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Clapton to walk against the tide of popularism towards the music of the past that he loves so much. ■■■■■■■■■■