Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Where to begin, it is the story of redemption and peace, sinners absolved, of preaching harmony and love for your neighbour and urging disdain for the material and for the unholy…but that was such a long time ago, a different time, a different place, and without ever wishing to deal with the idea of conjuring up the practise of blasphemy, the teachings of a prophet can surely have no place in rock and roll, but the wisdom of the Jesus of New Orleans can, and will have your feet willing to do more than walk on water, it will have them dancing as if they had been charged up by a mortal god.
Jack Spann maybe in demand all over, but it is to his own seismic output that the music world has taken note, and whilst being rightly part of David Bowie’s final studio recordings, it is in his words that the genius of his thought is recognised, and it should not come as any surprise that his latest single, Jesus of New Orleans, is a romp of musical festivity, a class act which installs the belief in the mix of eras to be found in the sound, the lyrics, and the exceptionally exposing colourful belief to which the video holds.
The song has the hallmarks of various strands of musical era’s carefully sewn throughout, more than just an idle reflection to which so many would be happy to remain, Jack Spann utilises the cosmic soul to be found at the end of the 60s, the drama of the 80s underground technique and the intensity that once saw the dance and rave hits take control in people’s lives and awareness, and by placing them in seriously enjoyable vibe, Jack Spann has succeeded where others have failed, he has captured a mood to which your mind explodes, and your body understands the desire of a pulse.
A single is not always an indication of where an album might lead, but if any future output from the maestro himself is anything as insanely good as the beat and the sound of this latest single, then it might be considered the musician’s greatest work to date.
Something completely unexpected, a miracle of the human conscious to bring passion from another quarter to the listening public.
Ian D. Hall