With the ongoing roadworks on the A63, I chose to take the scenic route to this evening’s venue, taking in the beautiful undulating landscape of East Yorkshire, with dusk’s fading embers spreading a pale light as I reached my destination. The Village Hall at North Newbald has been bringing some of the finest artists from both home and abroad to this idyllic part of the British Isles for the locals to enjoy for a number of years, thanks to the wonderful work of promoter John Tomlinson and his team of volunteers, including tonight’s headliners whose performance last August was considered by many to be the best gig of 2023.
Singer songwriter Karen Jonas hails from Fredericksburg, Virginia, and is currently on a twelve date tour this side of the Atlantic to promote her most recent release “The Rise And Fall Of American Kitsch” that garnered high praise, especially from AUK, with esteemed writer Tim Martin giving the album a much deserved 9/10 in his recent review. As with last year’s visit, Jonas is ably supported on stage by two of the finest musicians from across the pond, in Tim Bray on electric guitar and Seth Morrissey on bass and backing vocals.
With it being a Sunday evening show and no support act, Jonas and her band took to the stage at the somewhat earlier time than usual, approximately 7.00pm, which had caught a few people out, the late-comers trying to sneak in unnoticed as the opening set got underway. Songs from the new album immediately took centre stage with ‘Four Cadillacs’ kicking things off, with its tale of Elvis Presley and his overly generous habit of gifting cars, often to people he barely knew. From the opening bars Bray’s Telecaster bristled with intent while Morrissey’s bass underpinned the groove, giving Jonas the platform to deliver her sultry vocals with just the right amount of North Virginian sass that matched the twinkle in her eye. Next up was ‘Let’s Go To Hawaii’, with its Latin flavour delivering a mixture of Palm Trees and white sandy beaches all the way from the Pacific Ocean. The third number slowed things down with the ballad ‘Gold In The Sand’, one of the standout tracks from the album that highlights Jonas’s emotive vocals, her controlled passion drawing the audience in close, hanging on her every word.
The remainder of the first set saw Jonas and her band trawl through some of their favourite songs from her back catalogue starting with ‘The Last Cowboy (From The Bowling Alley)’, that drew its inspiration from the Californian themed location, ‘Pioneertown’ which was used in Western films and TV series during it’s heyday of the 1950’s & 1960’s. Apparently the third building to be built there was actually a bowling alley as a recreational amenity during down time from filming. The song has fast become a fan favourite since it first appeared on the 2020 album “The Southwest Sky And Other Dreams”, being a perfect example of Jonas’s refined art of telling stories through song. ‘Pink Leather Boots’, originally from the same album picked the pace up with Bray’s telecaster opening with a moody rockabilly riff, while Morrissey’s bass lines swung straight from a gypsy jazz ensemble on this risqué tale of truckers and strippers. Next up was ‘Butter’, the title track from her 2018 album, which strutted with all the attitude of a fifties swing band as Jonas inhabited the role of a domestic siren, the conviction in her vocal delivery finding the delicate balance between the sweet and the ever so slightly sinister that marks her out to be one of the finest performers around today. A statement hammered home by the closing number of the first set with ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’, capturing all the soulful power associated with Dusty Springfield’s iconic hit version.
The second half of the evening’s performance started with three songs from the 2023 album “The Restless”, starting with ‘Forever’ with its warm lyrical narrative painting a vivid image of sunnier days and simpler times. The atmospheric ‘Paris Breeze’, recently re-introduced to the live set is next before crowd favourite ‘Elegantly Wasted’ with Bray’s telecaster delivering the perfect amount of reverb to create the tension for Jonas’s achingly exquisite vocals, bringing this trio of French themed songs to a close. From here it’s back to the new material and two songs that very much embody the album’s topic of consumerism being the new religion and the dark underbelly that exists alongside. First up we have ‘Plastic Pink Flamingos’, of which there are two on stage, one either side, and its clever narrative, initially implying some harmless fun before developing into something far more troublesome and obsessive. Next, ‘Online Shopping’ tackles the ease of accessibility in today’s world and the garbage we create with every new purchase, and though Jonas and the band deliver the message with the juxtaposition of a tongue in cheek, snappy doo-wop swagger, the point is well made.
On the flight home from SXSW to promote “The Restless” album last year, Jonas watched Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” movie and was inspired to right a number of songs that would eventually appear on her most recent release. Having played one such track during the first set she returned to the subject of ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’, with the song ‘Shake Bump And Grind Show’,that builds from it’s gentle intro into a full blown rocker with the trio truly burning up the stage. All that excitement necessitated a slight change of pace but the Presley connection was maintained with Jonas, acoustic guitar now removed from around her neck but still held by her side, delivering a simply stunning cover of the 1961 hit ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ with the emotion that emanated around the hall during the performance clearly tangible.
There was still time for two more numbers, starting with the track that opens the new album, ‘Rich Man’s Valley’, which is pure country with lots of twangy guitar from Bray as Jonas tells us the story of the Carter family’s journey from fruit sellers to fame. As is often the case these days, and rightfully so, rather than indulging in the charade of an encore, the trio remained on stage accepting the tumultuous appreciation from the audience before treating everyone to a delightful cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark’, that had the local congregation singing along, and most probably all the way home. Once again Karen Jonas, Tim Bray and Seth Morrissey had delivered a performance of the highest order, one that will be talked about in hushed tones with big smiles by those present for many a long month. In fact probably until the trio return to grace these boards again, which by the response of the locals can’t come soon enough.
