Jonathon Linaberry’s stage name, The Bones of J.R. Jones, conjures a haunting image that sets a melancholic tone fitting for the depths of his latest album, Slow Lightning. Linaberry’s first full-length release in five years, and the deluxe version, out February 9, plunges listeners deeper with covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” and a Bones of J.R. Jones original “Out For Blood.”
Linaberry’s cover of Springsteen’s 1985 hit “My Hometown” sets a clear expectation for the mood of the fourteen-track album. A heavy song to begin with, Slow Lighting’s producer Paul Kolderie substitutes lap steel for Roy Bittan’s Nord synthesizer, adding an atmosphere of pastoral mournfulness that makes sense for an artist from the farmlands of Delhi, New York. The wailing lap steel leads to a cinematic arrangement that rolls out of speakers in a dense fog.
Strong arrangements are a hallmark of Slow Lightning. The album sounds larger, and if you close your eyes, it’s easy to imagine a larger room of musicians playing whatever they have on hand, from steel top resonator guitar to a washboard. From its sound alone you would never expect that the titular artist is just one man, that is a credit to expert production from Linaberry and Kolderie who created a seamless soundscape for the album
“Blue Skies” exemplifies this bucolic folk sound. Through a reverberating banjo twang Linaberry’s echoes lyrics that come to a tragic climax of despair, overcoming a prayer for better days and blue skies. In the video for his 2023 Tiny Desk Contest Submission, Linaberry is joined by dual backup vocalists Hannah Milnes and Maggie McDowell who add a harmonic nature to the song.
With the exception of a few tempo-pushing moments, this is not an album you will dance to. While the album’s opening track, “Animals” has an upbeat, soulful groove, these songs sound more fitting for contemplation than celebration. A long drive through a sun-soaked countryside is a fitting place for this album, which presents itself as too dour to be enjoyed over a few drinks with some friends.
Slow Lightening is an album loaded with heartbreak. The lyrics echo with lovesick despair through lines like ‘All my love, Pouring out of my eyes, Is drowning me tonight’ on “Heaven Help Me” and ‘You ain’t good for me, And you ain’t ever gonna be, But I ain’t through with you’ from “I ain’t through with you.”
Misery Loves Company spoke Mephastophilis, so there must be a catharsis in repeating “love is the kind of thing that will keep you warm” alongside strangers. Maybe at Bones of J.R. Jones broken hearts come together to reform. Linaberry’s skillful guitar playing and melodic delivery certainly give you reason to believe.
Tickets for The Bones of J.R. Jones tour are available now.
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