JW-Jones: Everything Now Review
If ‘Maple Leaf Blues’ was a genre thing (it isn’t……yet), JW-Jones could be the face of it. Having dabbled in acting and modeling, he has ‘the look’. Good thing for us it’s only a dabble. Hailing from Ottawa Ontario, Jones started out as a drummer before taking up the guitar in his teens. He’s in good company with notable drum converts, guitar behemoths Tab Benoit and Samantha Fish. Nominations too frequent to mention have Jones’ name sprinkled throughout the years since the then 18-year-old won 1998 R&R Concerts’ Battle of the Bands. Best Male Vocalist (2009 Blues 411), Best Self-Produced CD (2017 International Blues Challenge), and Best Guitarist (2020 International Blues Challenge) are among the hardware he has taken home.
Jones has ten studio albums and one live release leading up to Everything Now. Four have held a top ten spot on the Billboard Blues chart, including its predecessor, 2022’s Sonic Departures. Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds), Larry Taylor (Canned Heat), Charlie Musselwhite, Tom Hambridge, and fellow Canadian Colin James have contributed to JW’s discography over the years. He has had on stage appearances with Buddy Guy, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Junior Watson, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, Rusty Zinn, Rick Holmstrom, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, The Mannish Boys and Hubert Sumlin.
Everything Now recently hit #1 on Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Canada album chart. It was produced in Austin, Texas and Ottawa, Canada with long-time collaborator Eric Eggleston, as well, with multi-platinum-selling artist and Canadian legend Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar). Of Johnson, Jones says “He’s a total freak talent as a producer, guitarist, singer, bassist, drummer, keyboards – you name it”. Johnson, now an Austin Texas resident, lent his home to those sessions.
Everything Now has 11 tracks written by Jones along with longtime collaborator Dick Cooper and Johnson. Gordie also provides instrumental support on “Good To Be True.” The legendary Jimmie Vaughan features on “Take Your Time”. The Texas Horns set the mood on “When You Left”. Rob McNelley (guitar) on “My Luck”, Stanton Moore (drums) on “Everything Now”, and Aaron Sterling (drums) on “Papa’s in the Pen” lace the album with an abundance of musical experience to accent Jones’ exceptional guitar work and he also revisits his drum roots on “Keeping Me Up”.
McNelley has toured with Bob Seger and has studio work with Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Joe Bonamassa, and more under his belt. Sterling’s credits include session work with John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lady A, and others.
For Everything Now Jones states “I wanted to open up and get more personal than ever with the lyrics. From the true story, “Papa’s in the Pen”, to “When You Left” that I sang with tears rolling down my cheeks about my mother’s passing”. He also touches on his quest for true love in “Everything Now” and “I Choose You” and reflects on the journey from being a player in “Works Every Time” and “To Tell You the Truth (I Lied)” to being played in “Keeping Me Up”, “Good to be True” and “Take Your Time”. Despite all this personal turmoil, Jones promotes positivity in “My Luck” and “It’s Not Raining in L.A.”
Bottom Line: If every Canadian confessional sounds this good, I might move north and become a man of the cloth. Despite its serious lyrical nature, Everything Now delivers a polished summer evening jazzy blues sound that will bring a smile to your ears while sitting on the patio enjoying a beverage of your choice. This is a very good album.
The Review 8.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Everything Now
– Papa’s in the Pen
– When You Left
– Good to be True
Big Hit
– Papa’s in the Pen
Buy the album: Amazon
