For those of you with a need to know these things, I am doing this review while having a nice drink in a hotel lounge. These are busy days for me at the magazine as various members of the team are on holiday (I’m not as I am a poor student) – but Mark is having a great time in Madrid where he used to live, Lorraine is down in Wales looking at castles and Anna-Louise is in Morocco. So it is Benny, myself, the cats, occasional teenagers and Stevie holding the fort!
And I am turning my attention to the new Stephen Jacques album “Pioneers and Fragrant Flowers.” I notice that Stevie reviewed Stephen’s previous album, the strangely named “Prayers for an Orange Cat.” I’m new to his music, so I will take it as I find!
Here is the press release information:
Stephen Jacques new album “Pioneers and Fragrant Flowers” covers Western migration, frontier wagon train plight, gunfights, saloons, Native American reality, miscreants, gorgeous American countryside. “Fragrant Flowers” & “Native American Sweetness” evoking true essence, challenges.
A true artist and songwriter world-renowned for his prolific, heartfelt alt-rock love songs, Stephen is one of America’s greatest storytellers and Renaissance men. His body of work was culled from a lifetime of self-made opportunities and life experiences, including those as an engineer, a Hollywood actor, a custom builder, a TV host, and a guitarist. Stephen has released 12 albums to date, two of those produced by Steve Albini. Though Stephen lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, his family hails from New Orleans and New York. His Italian grandfather was a multi-instrumentalist during the roaring 20s, and his aunt on the French side of his family was a fabulous blues singer. His music was influenced by great rock and punk bands heard throughout the mid-Atlantic in his 20s and 30s, as well as by a good friend — a Beatles fan — who introduced him to his first chords on an acoustic guitar at age 16. Stephen currently writes all of his music and performs in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area. Over 300 radio stations and podcasts have played his records.
My Review:
“Pioneers and Fragrant Flowers” was released on July 25, so it is on all platforms now.
There are 10 songs with a running time of just under 37 minutes.
“Fragrant Flowers.” I liked the guitar melody that kicks in at around the minute mark, it instrumentally is pleasing with the guitars taking me toward George Harrison and his touch. It is a gentle rock opening to the album.
“Native American Sweetness” slows things down a bit and introduces the piano and some background lyrics with a female vocal sitting under that of Stephen in places. Again, I liked the guitar work and there is an emotive vocal performance from Stephen as he connects to the Native peoples that those in the wagons encountered .
“Dusty Danny” has a more hard-edged vocal and the guitar sound this time took me toward the sound of Hank Marvin and The Shadows. The track certainly sounds as if it would slice it nicely with a live crowd as it has that energy in the performance, set as it is within the card tables of the old west.
“Gunfire at Midnight.” Having read Stevie’s review of “Prayers for an Orange Cat” I see she compared Stephen vocally to Chris Rea, listening to the album I can see why. That slightly gravelly delivery and vocals that are almost spoken at points trolling their stories.
“Smoking Trail” takes us on the trail where a brown bear can attack the trail. The album as a whole plays with this concept of life on the trail, the songs loosely connected to the time on the plains. This is a slow rock waltz.
“Wheel Done Broke” was a track I enjoyed. I think the vocal performance on this track was the best so far and it musically did take me on the road.
“Love Downriver.” This is a slow number where eyes stare into fires and the fire, no doubt, crackles in the dark nights. It is a slower number, a gentle swaying track for the late night.
“Trailhead Fire” continues the journey. It is interesting in that Stephen Jacques takes us on a metaphorical journey with the album, one that places the story to the fore and lets the little jigsaw pieces show different sides of the western expansion.
“Campfire Daydream” is like that late summer breeze that blows over the plain. It is dreamy and very much a sunset. Again, the vocals emotively connect to the lyric and the guitar provides its own soundtrack to the era. Slightly cinematic!
“Sunset Horsey” closes down the album, appropriately, with the setting sun. The dusty trail is over and the torn and tattered traveller arrives at the close. The credits roll and the wagons pull up at the old ranch bar. I liked the background harmony vocal on this one!
In summary, “Pioneers and Fragrant Flowers” is a concept-driven collection that paints vivid pictures of the old American frontier. It’s an album that values storytelling above all, with a cinematic sweep and a consistent thematic arc that fans of Americana and alt-country will appreciate. Stephen Jacques clearly has a passion for the stories he tells, and this album continues his journey as one of indie music’s more distinctive voices. For those seeking a reflective listen with a poetic, roadworn charm — saddle up and hit play.
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Artist website here
You can stream music from Stephen Jacques here
By Tracey Nash
Lyrics: Stephen Jacques
Recording Engineer/Mixing: Taylor Hales of Electrical Audio, Chicago.
Acoustic Guitar, Vocals: Stephen Jacques
Producer, Bass, Acoustic, Electric Guitars: Jason Narducy
Steel, Acoustic, Electric, Guitars: Chris Siebold
Piano, Keyboard: Vijay Tellis-Novak
Drums, Percussion: Gerald Dowd
Backing Vocals: Jennifer Hall
Mastering: Chicago Mastering
Cover Art: Emma Johnson