Joseph Parsons: Reviews

Cheer up, love, goes the age-old adage, it might never happen; from the sounds of things, it already has for Joseph Parsons. Pitching a tent midway between Cherry Ghost and Josh Ritter at battered-troubadour camp, Parsons' seventh studio album finds it's author probing for answers in a world that offers none.

It's to the credit of both artist and producer that the LP's sombre subject matter (Hurricane Katrina, the death of his father, a broken paramour - and that's just the first three tracks) never muddies the twinkling melodies and crystal-clear orchestration. Parsons is an accomplished writer evidently well versed in the traditions of modern American country-rock, and his soothing baritone is a perfect conduit for these twelve songs of loss and reflection.

It works best when Parsons' melancholy is given full reign, as on the magnificent title track and the Bush-baiting 'Sky Boys'; indeed, when his voice rises just enough to sing 'Father, son/Where's my holy ghost?' in the moving coda to 'Shades Of Gray', the sense of muted desperation in overwhelming. An album steeped in wisdom and compassion, Heaves Above is the sound of a man staring at the chaos of the world and longing to find peace within it.

"It would be a shame if Joseph Parsons' new album – his seventh one – was left to drift alone in the big flood of CD releases. Because it's a magnificent album, in all its treacherous simplicity. Take the drama of Jackie Leven, the street-smart of Willie Nile, and why not the mature elegance of Elliott Murphy (who's by the way is guest on the beautiful female portrait 'Sitting On Top Of The World'). Somewhere there, Joseph Parsons ends up.



I hint a love for the great story-telling voices of the music history, and a rather rare ability to comprise a life lived, into a few minutes of song. With the credibility retained. He's got a sympathique, magisterial voice. A voice that, without being intrusive, demands attention. You can sort of tell that he's got something to say.



And he does have a lot to say. About heaven, angels and heartache. The album was made partially in the Philadelphia of his childhood, and partially in his beloved Paris. It's not hard to understand the imprinting of melancholy, grief and longing: the past year has meant great emotional convulsions for Parsons because of the loss of his father and homeland.



The production of Devin Greenwood (who was earlier working with, among others, Norah Jones) puts a warm and airey aura around the powerful songs. Atmospheres tending to the pompous builds up without cutting down on the foundation of melody. It's art. And that's where part of the strength lies. Among string arrangements à la Nick Drake, a frequently used dramatic Hammond B3 and West Coast-big singing, everything can suddenly be stripped down into tip-toeing acoustic americana, as in the, in fact, sweet piece 'Tell Me Hello'.

The duet with Emiliana Zeitlyn 'Falling' balances on a thin line over sentimentality and darkness, but makes it through without harm. And if you've got a weak spot for, let's say Damien Jurado's melancholic beauty, you're prepared to make that act of balance many times over.

Even if the album in whole is painted in dark, it doesn't lack direct melodies, things that in a more just world would be called radio hits. What else are 'Skipping Stone' or the title track? The powerful preluding title track is so hard to pass by: obvious and grand in its almost pop-smart urge.

'Heavens Above' is a grandiose little album, parceled with style and elegance, and Joseph Parsons is a songwriter who ought to step out of the shadows. By the way, how cool isn't it to have a drummer called Ivan Funk?"


"Joseph Parsons offers up an album full of singer-songwriter, with a blend of country, rock'n'roll and pop. Great quality throughout, but what really makes 'Heaven's Above' a standout, is the magnificent title-track, who won't leave neither my mind, or my stereo, alone".

Despite a number of amazing albums (Lies - 2002, The Vagabond Tales - 2005 and The Fleury Sessions - 2006 as for me are obligatory CD's)  JOSEPH PARSONS, originating from Philadelphia, is unfortunately still an unknown artist amongst the average lovers of singer-songwriter music. And yet this guy Parsons has one of the most beautiful and impressive voices in the scene and moreover is capable of writing songs that penetrate your soul. The recently released album 'Heavens Above' was written during a period in which Parsons mostly lived in Europe and was mourning the death of his father. This makes the already quite emotional music of this American musician even more impressive. 'Heavens Above' is produced by Devin Greenwood, who is above all known from his work with Norah Jones. A striking choice, that turns out to be an excellent one. As for me 'Heavens Above' is the most accessible and most versatile album of Joseph Parsons to date, but over all the American has fortunately kept his own artistic quality. The past years, Parsons has been compared to various songwriters such as Nick Drake, Josh Ritter and Sufjan Stevens. One by one, comparisons that I consider sensible as well as absurd. Listen to this CD with an open mind and you'll be surprised by a voice full of emotion, by music stable as a rock and most of all by lyrics that can touch you deeply. Once again Joseph Parsons presents himself, with his album 'Heavens Above', as one of the most talented singer-songwriters of his time; it has been like this for years. Therefore now is the time for his deserved break-through.
(translation: Yvonne Böhm)

Looks like Joseph Parsons is one of the most prolific artists reviewed here on Leaky Sparrow: live performances in Germany and in Paris, the Fleury Sessions CD, The Parsons-Thibaud Acoustic Duo CD and now Heavens Above his 7th studio CD. This new release is obviously the long-awaited milestone in a now very productive career. Joseph Parsons, Philadelphia born singer-songwriter, has delivered with Heavens Above his most ambitious work to date. This record shows the multiple talents of Joseph Parsons. From the classical sing-a-long Parsons’ tunes perfect to be played live (Heavens Above, Skipping Stone, Tell Me Hello) to the more “from the heart” songs like Falling (beautiful background vocals from Emiliana Zeitlyn also on Anyone), not to forget the CSN&Yest Sky Boys and Dume Room, the story of a Southern Californian troll (a vagabond with a mysterious aura). Please, read the following interview that Joseph agreed to give to Leaky Sparrow. You'll understand how important this record is for him and why I am so happy that he finally release a “fearless record”.

INTERVIEW

Leaky Sparrow: There are references to « heaven » in many songs.  Not only on the title song.  You dedicated this record to your father who died last year, was Heavens Above influence by this sad event? Is it your intention that people should read anything into these repeated references?

Joseph Parsons: Heaven, being the hope that the faithful have, is always a wonderful metaphor in song. Since my father died, I have certainly become more thoughtful about ‘our’ state of existence and the fragility inherent in our everyday lives.  It reminds me of the old saying, “without sadness, we will never know true happiness”, or something like that.  My father was the person in my life who encouraged me throughout our time together.  He was a man who said; “Make sure you follow your dreams. Be a trash collector, be a businessman, be an artist, it doesn’t matter as long as you do what you love.”

LS: There's a fair degree of diversity across the record, and tracks like Anyone, Falling and I Saw You stand out particularly for me as it's more in the vein of a singer-songwriter like Nick Drake. Is Heavens Above a new step in your songwriting?

JP: These are songs that I probably enjoy writing the most.  I have a lot of these mood pieces, songs that make me feel and help to explore an emotion.  When Devin Greenwood joined the project as producer, I felt I could trust him to help me translate these songs and make them as beautiful as they became.  It’s the song that isn’t pushed or driven, it floats down the river.  I discovered Nick Drake late, like the early 90’s, and I have become a fan for sure.

LS: What were the challenges and rewards of making the record?

JP: I think the most difficult aspect of making this record is that some songs are, in my ego-centric insecure mind, not accessible or too far out in left field. I have feared for a long time that songs like Anyone or I Saw You would leave me too vulnerable.  That if people didn’t like them, it would be a direct reflection on them not liking me as a person.  What’s really cool though is that as I’ve gotten a bit older, I care a lot less about what people think of my art and more about the honesty of it. That has been the reward, to care less of what is thought of my expression.

LS: You wrote most of the new songs in Paris. What significance or influence does the place have for you?

JP: It’s probably because Paris is the first city where I felt free.  I was there when I was 20 and it felt like I could be anyone I wanted to be.  I played music by the Pompidou and in the Metro’s.  It’s where I ‘cut my teeth’ performing, writing, and it’s where I learned how to project my voice.  Paris, to me, is like going home. Writing there is very easy for me. Of course the beauty, women, food and wine doesn’t hurt either.

LS: You were a member of bands like 'Hardpan', '4 Way Street' and you made a record together with Todd Thibaud last year.... Obviously you like to share your music with other singer-songwriters. How do you manage to juggle your time between these different projects?

JP: As the old expression say’s: “If you want something done, give it to a busy person”.  Because of my Virgo nature, obsessive & workaholic behaviour, I tend to get deep into making things happen.  I have a deep belief in sharing and creating art on the fly.  With collaborative projects like these, you never know what will happen, in the studio or especially live, when you work with good artists.  It makes for GREAT theatre as well.  Collaborative projects can be the most rewarding and the most frustrating of all.  Giving up the decision process and control can be either very liberating or the contrary.  And it helps when the others are not drug addicts or alcoholics.

The Vagabond Tales
OOR Magazine
(The Netherlands)
There was a moment that he seriously considered never to release a solo album again. His previous untitled CD (the 'Black Album') from 1999 was a hard and painful experience. Parsons’ adventurous journey through the dark corners of the human existence weighed heavily on his emotional household. During the next few years, Parsons was occupied with his collaborative projects Hardpan (Blue Rose Records) and the already disbanded 4 Way Street (Sanctuary Records).
These days, Parsons approaches things in a more thoughtful perspective. Although there are the occasional social shipwrecks and relationship dilemma’s to be handled, the sun is shining in his lyrics more often. Parsons’ very well written rootspop is carrying the big load on this album. Modestly funky or rocking, it’s captured in the solid arrangements and the crystal clear production. The cornerstones of this collection are the contemplative and beautiful ballads like “Angel”, “Mighty High” and “Silence”.
-Marcel Haerken
(Translation by Jan Janssen)

"...fragile soul trips..."

The Fleury Sessions

FAZ - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The sun is always shining, even when it rains. Country rock definitely has some dignity and grace. Joseph Parsons is finding his mature style. Thirty-five years after the ‘Rolling Stones’, the American singer/songwriter Joseph Parsons proves that a perfect, alcohol-blessed country, folk and blues album can be recorded under the French sun.

Turning to simplicity is usually the result of some seasoning. Only in exceptional cases will you find it at the beginning of a career and most of the time it results from calamitous experiences. When either life, work or both don’t work out anymore. One example of that is Alex Chilton, who desperately suffered from alcoholism, longed for simplicity. Another example is Bob Dylan, who had a motorcycle accident and after literally went into a basement to record the ‘Basement Tapes’ together with The Band.

The spirit of that music was first spread by people who couldn’t play anything else than country and blues and who dedicated their, often very short, lives to that one thing. Those were people who didn’t have the opportunity to try something new. Their mission was accomplished with the invention of what we today call, Americana. Their most important representatives are Robert Johnson and Hank Williams.

While listening to Joseph Parsons’ ‘The Fleury Sessions’, one could call it just one of those contemporary Americana-records from the singer/songwriter genre and not see much more in it if, Parsons’ development wasn’t so interesting or this album was not such a masterpiece.

‘The Fleury Sessions’, the quick follow-up to ‘The Vagabond Tales’, was recorded in the small French village Fleury En Bierre after a very long European tour. It is, by itself, proof that blues, country and folk are not tied to a location, but can be made where totally different music comes from. The ‘Rolling Stones’ made the all time example for that with their ‘Exile On Main Street’, which they recorded in southern France.

Joseph Parsons and his band were probably not living as luxuriously as the Stones, but the working conditions must have been decent, because the ‘Sessions’ has a very relaxed feeling, which, even in this genre, is rarely found and is usually the result of a longer-lasting self-discovery process. Because Joseph Parsons, born in 1964 and famous for quality rock - at least to the people who know his kind of music - was wandering through styles and countries, before he found his unique, relaxed, self-confident way. During the 80’s, Parsons, from Philadelphia, was travelling around between east and west coasts. In 1991 he worked for children’s causes in Baghdad. After that he had different bands and then landed at the, in many ways deserving record label, ‘Blue Rose Records’, located in the Swabian village Abstatt. A label that still knows the meaning of the words ‘Artist Development’. Joseph Parsons couldn’t make the hit parades with any of his albums, for his music is too multi-dimensional. His music has elements of Delta Blues as well as even trip-hop and he shouldn’t be insulted that people compare his music to Dylan and ‘Massive Attack’ in the same breath. Parsons’ self titled record from 1999 is a good example of how relaxed everything can be put together today, given that there is a foundation for that, which Parsons always had in Folk and Country rock.

If the 1999 record sounded a bit undecided, his “The Vagabond Tales” from 2005 sounded much more consistent. Although Parsons sounded a little like the hit parade band ‘Foreigner’, the acoustic sounds and the propensity to ballad-ize sounds on the new CD headed towards Americana with more sentiment and introspection, lyrically. Maybe a little conventional and safe, the straight forward production including memorable melodies. Special mention should go to ‘Angel’ and ‘Good or Bad’, because they reach, from time to time, a hymn-like and pastoral direction.

‘The Fleury Sessions’ is part of a spirit that Emmylou Harris once described like this: “First I sung country music only because of the feeling. Then I realized how much content is in the lyrics, too. It’s a tightrope between sentimentalism and banality on the one hand and sincerity and being close to reality on the other hand. All this includes some sublimeness and grace.” Is it sublime and graceful when a man calls himself a fool because he’s drinking too much with his friends and because he’s got problems with love? It’s the classic, and maybe even the only, topic in country music that Parsons is singing about here. Because of just one song, ‘Fool Again’, this record is worth buying. ‘Fool Again’ is a song in which music, lyrics and Parsons’ enjoyably quiet vocals are perfectly in step with each other – a miracle in country folk - which comes along only once every few years.

But the other songs are almost as good, and that’s the amazing thing about this perfectly resilient and crystal clear album production. ‘Sun Gonna Shine’ takes sunshine as a metaphor for life, which is very rare in Country Music. ‘Taken By Surprise’, ‘King Of Baltimore’ and ‘All The Love’ are rousing, yet always under control mid and up-tempo songs; relaxing, powerful, but all the time with the mood of a Confederate disaster awaiting. Parsons should know about this from his roots in Louisiana, where he recorded his first record.

So, this is the mature style of Joseph Parsons, even if it seems to be a little early for a word like that. Let’s leave it like that: he couldn’t get much more mature.

All rights reserved. © F.A.Z. GmbH, Frankfurt am Main
Translation by Christian Böhm

"Inspirational."

'The Vagabond Tales', Parsons’ eighth European release, is an acoustic-electric album driven by his rock-solid songwriting and undeniable vocal talents. “This album is much more focused,” says Parsons, who self-produced the album. “I made sure not overproduce it, you know? I wanted to stay out of hyper-production mode.” Those unfamiliar with the songwriter can expect a self-described brand of “acoustic-rock film noir” at the live shows and on the new album. “Growing up I was influenced a lot by Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and Peter Gabriel,” remembers Parsons, who tours with a full electric band featuring drums, bass, and electric and acoustic guitars. “With the band, the shows are much more rock and roll.”

"His expressive voice and seamless lyrics prove him to be an experienced dealer in emotions."

Live In Europe
Kinda Muzik
The Netherlands

Joseph Parsons learned a lot from the great songwriters of the past, and to the greatest of them he pays tribute on this live-album. Among his own fine compositions, the cover versions of 'Jokerman' (Bob Dylan), 'Rain' (Beatles), and 'Don't Let It Bring You Down' (Neil Young) shine like golden nuggets. Certainly these selections are no great risk, but with these songs he's on the can't go wrong. He is no innovator of the genre, rather he is a keeper of the beautiful. Live in Europe is an especially good choice for Parsons newcomers because you get a good summary of his released work so far. Almost the only point that causes criticism is the fact that the album sounds like it was recorded in the bath, but I don't think you can blame Parsons for that one.

Lies...
Performing Songwriter
USA

Well who needs major labels, anyway? As long as artists like Parsons can make well crafted albums like lies....DIY's (Do It Yourself's) will do just fine. This is a percussive-happy, groove laden effort. Parsons' lyrics aim straight for the heart and the mind but his music hits you somewhere around the hips.

'If I Only Had Enough Faith' features gospel style backing vocals and a tasty gut string guitar solo. The whole CD has a big feel, without sounding bombastic or over produced. All the better to go with his big ideas and sentiments. Like Marvin Gaye, The Clash or Sly & The Family Stone, Parsons likes to set his message for the masses to a beat the masses can move to. Check out 'Whether You Will (Or Whether You Won't)' and the title track for proof.

'She' beckons you to dim all the lights and slow dance around the living room floor. 'For You' is another adult love song with emotion tempered by caution.

Kudos to producer John Wicks, who builds up rather than buries Parsons tunes in dense textures and delirious rhythms. Parsons' Lies... is a delightful earful.