Steve Jinski – Hope Street
Lucky Smile Records – Out Now (Distributed by Proper Music)
It is doubtful whether any EP has ever been better titled. If the pandemic blues, or indeed any other negativity, are currently blighting your life, then an amble down Hope Street might just be the tonic that you need, infused throughout, as it is, with optimism – even the aptly-named record label gets in on the act, should you need further persuasion.
Steve Jinski, talented North-East based singer, songwriter, performer, musician, half of acclaimed JINSKI acoustic duo, community music educator and recently-elected Chair of the Board of the Sunderland Music Hub, has released a memorable five-track EP of original songs called Hope Street.
Despite being written during a period of turbulence and uncertainty afflicting everyone, each of the five tracks offers a minimum solace and empathy, but also hope, optimism and possible beacons of guiding lights to lead you forward in these troublesome times, should you wish to get on board, after all, as Steve states in one of his lyrics ‘there’s a space for everyone‘.
The message is explicitly delivered from the get-go on the opening track, Something Good Will Happen. A sparse stripped back offering, the power of Steve’s delivery of lyrics such as
Where you see a little light, hold on tight
It just might mean what’s lost has been found …
Don’t know how, I don’t know where, I don’t know when
Something good will happen
are reinforced by the most effective drone accordion accompaniment of celebrated guest musician Karen Tweed.
The Earth And The Clear Blue Sky, the second single lifted from the EP, released last week and already receiving a great deal of air time, ushers in a completely different listening experience. The short introductory beats immediately suggest an Indian/sub-continental feel, an impression reinforced as the song develops with dreamy, psych, sitar-like guitar sounds and rhythms which are infectious in the extreme, the perfect complement to the woozy, in the most sincere of senses, vocals. A well-constructed song, which has benefitted from great attention to detail in all of the technological aspects, with production by Steve and Dave Maughan, who was also responsible for the recording, engineering, and mastering, this is a wonderful soundtrack to a balmy day.
However many plaudits the previous song quite rightly receives, my personal favourite on this EP is Building The House. Steve explains that “In 2020/21 many people are grieving and having to come to terms with great personal loss. This song is a reflection on that struggle”. The sparse, gentle solo piano with its intriguing chord changes, Steve’s warm, intimate yet inviting vocals, the unobtrusive, but totally apposite, celestial backing vocals, all perfectly judged, just heavenly. One of the most beautiful songs of the year in my book and redolent of Gary Booker and Grand Hotel-era Procul Harem; yes, I think it’s that good. The equally moving official video to Building The House can be seen here.
The reflection inherent in the previous track gives way to another more upbeat, indeed uplifting, song, with a full band plus singers offering To The Saint Of Lost Causes. The plainsong-like chant introduction gives way to jangling guitar, keys, the insistent rhythm of a metronomic drum, a swirling (Hammond organ?) sound, and, once again, delightful harmonies, the sum total of which will have you hanging off every word and toe-tapping, before a final, positively stellar soaring solo vocal at the end; think an abridged Clare Torry, Great Gig In The Sky to get some idea.
The final track on this EP, Recovery, a short cameo, again is spartan, the simple guitar accompaniment allowing the clarity of Steve’s vocals to shine through. If my ears are to be trusted, the two-word chorus of “Howay, howay” not only reflects his North East but, when performed live, also cannily ensures a positive “chorus joining-in” engagement from an audience.
This EP is one of great contrasting variety in terms of tempo, delivery, atmosphere, and this eclectic mix is a great strength. To answer a question posed by Steve on his excellent website, in my very humble opinion, yes, your songs will mean things to others; they will be touched by them, and the songs certainly live beyond your little world.
Sincerely honest, lacking in pretension or hyperbole, qualities it seems that are sadly lacking in many quarters today, Hope Street is an album that does exactly what it says on the tin, so to speak. It is as good a salve and riposte to the seemingly all-pervasive negativity currently around as you could wish for.