Jaywalkers – Time to Save the World
Burnt Chilli Records – 5 November 2018
For those not yet in the know, Jaywalkers is a sparky young Cheshire-based trio whose stock-in-trade is an exceedingly accomplished blend of folk and bluegrass-Americana. They started out as a duo comprising Jay Bradberry (fiddle, guitar, lead vocals) and Mike Giverin (mandolin, guitar, harmony vocals), who attained finalist status in 2009’s BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, not long after which they expanded to a trio with the addition of Lucille Williams on double bass and harmony vocals, creating an impressively full-toned acoustic blend. This lineup has remained constant ever since, releasing three fine and increasingly confident albums and making quite a name for themselves on festival stages.
Album number three, Weave, appeared in 2015 and took the form of a collection of original songs penned by the trio’s songwriter Mike, a majority of which were centred around the industrial heritage of his home county of Lancashire. However, the trio’s new album, Time To Save The World, focuses more on stories from personal experiences and adventures. These are headed up by the obviously-themed quasi-title-track (This Time), whose entirely laudable message is that we are damaging the natural environment in so many ways but the time is right for this trend to be turned around if we act now and make the correct decisions. This message, set to a cheeky, jaunty mandolin riff, winds down with the proud, stately End Of The World Waltz. Even so, there’s something of a double-edge here too – the rollicking Set Me Free arises from possible personal consequences of “save the world” activism…
Elsewhere, the delicate triple-time of This Is The One pensively explores the familiar tightrope between creativity and despair that a songwriter straddles every day. The mountain-music breakdown rhythm of (Please) Rescue Me echoes the singer’s plight of (almost) getting stuck up a mountain in Colorado, and contains a pair of knockout instrumental breaks casually tossed into the mix. The song’s also one of two cuts to feature the sprightly guest banjo of Stu Williams, by the way; Scott Poley brings his pedal steel artistry along to a different pair of songs (the tenderly reflective Life I Chose and the authentic honky-tonk of life-on-the-road number How Many Whiskeys?), and Josh Clark plays percussion on the soulful, funky cautionary Too Close For Comfort. At this point, I must single out Josh’s production of the album – everything’s in ideal balance and perfect place, while retaining a laid-back intimate feel that really draws us in and keeps us companionably hooked.
Although majoring on Mike’s excellent original songs, the album kicks off with a vibrant instrumental cut penned by Jay (the cheesily-titled Homage To The Fromage), and draws to a close with a Johnny Cash cover (Big River), which was recorded “live around a single microphone”, which further endorses the feeling that while original material has always been a strong suit, the trio’s covers have never been mere makeweights.
Jaywalkers’ musicianship is truly tasty: both deft and impeccable but never soulless, also a veritable model of restraint, while the players’ togetherness and interplay is mesmerising and attention-grabbing yet without shouting its prowess. Each member of the trio plays his/her part naturally and unfussily and makes the greater impact by doing just that and not grandstanding. It’s not exactly “less is more” though, because there’s plenty going on to sustain listener interest all the way.
Pre-order the album here www.jaywalkers.co.uk/shop