Tuesday, 12 February 2013

ALBUM: ETHAN JOHNS - IF NOT NOW THEN WHEN?


Review by Jon Birch

Listen Up Manchester album rating: 7/10

If Not Now Then When, is the debut solo album from prolific record producer, Ethan Johns. The son of the legendary Glyn Johns, producer for the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Faces, The Who and Eric Clapton to name but a few, Ethan has a mightily impressive pedigree of his own. He’s the man behind The Kings Of Leon’s first two, sound-defining albums and has worked with the likes of Joe Cocker, Ray LaMontagne and Laura Marling.

As the title suggests, it’s a record that’s been long planned and on first listen, Ethan Johns has got plenty to offer as a solo artist. There’s a wealth of genres packed in here, from the mournful acoustic opening of Hello Sunshine, the full on Blues-Rock of Morning Blues to the upbeat Americana of Red Rooster Blue.

With the record just ten tracks long, it does sometimes feel a little this mass of styles has been crammed together; across the opening few tracks, it almost lurches from genre to genre, pieces of a jigsaw that don’t quite fit. However, it comes together on The Turning which see’s John’s at his most contemplative. There’s something of the wistful beauty of Nick Drake in the soft piano and clear reflective vocals. It’s a beautiful, moving song and leads the album into its strongest section with the Nick Cave-like, Rally and Don’t Reach Too Far.

Johns has worked closely with Ryan Adams for much of his career (he took the helm for both Adam’s seminal 2001 album Gold and its predecessor Heartbreaker) and Adams, along with Laura Marling, joins in for the lead track, Whip Poor Will, contributing a backing track of haunting vocals and subtle slide guitar.

Throughout his time behind the desk, Ethan Johns has worked with a wide range of musicians and that’s openly expressed in his music. It’s the reason why so many genres are on display here and why many tracks sound so readily influenced by others. What it does lead you to wonder is, is it his style that has been influenced by those he’s worked with or is it maybe the other way round? This is a decent debut that showcases Ethan John’s many talents and, if there is a follow up, it will be intriguing to see which direction he takes next. 

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