Jake McKelvie “A New Kind Of Hat”

Massachusetts troubadour delivers his brand of indie alt-country – music for body and soul.

Jake McKelvie’s latest is his first proper solo album since 2016’s “Rhinestone Busboy” and it is a quiet delight, full of lo-fi musings and beautifully poised lyricism all shot through with a world-weary optimism. Opening track ‘The Art of Seduction’ lays out the masterplan in microcosm. Jonathan Richman or Lou Reed guitar shapes over a simple rhythm whilst McKelvie takes us into the vignette of the moment ‘You’ve mastered the art of seduction and all but removed all my clothes’. ‘Better Option’ is a brightly shiny walking blues of sorts as McKelvie stuffs all his words in as fast as he can until we reach the bridge. There’s some gentle backing vocals and the feeling that this is a love song masquerading as cynicism and indecision and then it’s gone.

The country lilt to “If You Break My Heart’ is a deliberate move as the song follows all the country lyrical tropes ‘If you have to break my heart just do it nice and slow’. It’s not lacrymose as McKelvie’s delivery always has a sense an observation rather than a self-confession. In fact the album seems to be shot through with a country feel. It’s dry without being humourless or distant and is a delightful slow dance for the end of a tiring evening. In fact there’s real warmth to the album as repeated listens reveal deep humour and humanity. Musically it treads a familiar path throughout all the songs, they are all beds for the narration and there’s no massive change of tempo or direction. The finger-picked ‘Wiki Change’, or the Modern Lovers lite of ‘Once Unseated’.

This a troubadour’s album, full of stories, quite often in waltz time. If you like a literate singer-songwriter with a witty turn of phrase then Jake is your man.