Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Jeremiah Johnson: “Unemployed Highly Annoyed” (2020) CD Review


How is it that even with all that extra time due to unemployment, I didn’t seem to get anything done? Has anyone else experienced that? Well, some folks have remained quite busy during this strange time, making the most of it. Jeremiah Johnson is releasing his second album of the year. Following February’s Heavens To Betsy, a title I love, comes Unemployed Highly Annoyed, a title I like even more, for it describes perfectly the state many of us have been in and continue to be in, particularly musicians and other folks in entertainment. This is a blues album for this time, an album that reaches out a hand to those people who are struggling, who are worried, who may be losing faith in their fellow men. Joining Jeremiah Johnson on this release are Paul Niehaus IV on bass, keys and backing vocals; and Tony Antonelli on drums, percussion and backing vocals. The album features mostly original material. 

The album opens with “Burn Down The Garden,” a tune with something of a southern rock vibe. And right away, the state of the world is being addressed. “The faded dreams of the brokenhearted, they’ve all been turned away/Seems like the whole world’s breaking down.” Indeed. But this song offers an optimistic and positive outlook, as he tells us to “Have a little faith, things will come around.” It feels like everything has to come down in order for us to begin again, and this time with some compassion. “Let’s build a better day,” he sings here. It seems a gargantuan task, yes, but we’ve got to start, and we’ve got to start now. “Burn Down The Garden” is followed by “Muddy Black Water,” which begins with a good beat, though it is that catchy and cool part on keys that really gets me into this track. This song is about struggling anew, and doing what needs to be done and not being afraid to ask for help. “Life has given me a sucker punch body blow/I want to blame it on the weather man/You can’t rest on your laurels when the roof comes caving in.” It is easy to find others to blame for our troubles, especially these days, but that doesn’t really help. And as for the line about blaming it on the weather man, it does seem like the very weather has turned on us, doesn’t it? It often feels to me like the earth has had quite enough of humanity and is trying to shake us off, like a dog trying to get rid of fleas. In addition to floods and storms, a good section of the country has been ablaze. Is anyone still doubting climate change? “Blue skies turn to grey/Watching the riverbanks wash away/Thunder beating down on my parade.” In this song too he mentions that people “Got to have faith.”

The album’s only cover is “Cherry Red Wine,” a song written and recorded by Luther Allison, and included on his 1995 album Blue Streak. Jeremiah Johnson delivers an excellent rendition. I love that glorious blues guitar work, which is driving this track almost from its opening moments. There is also some good work on keys. In this song, he worries about someone’s drinking problem. “You worry me, baby/I’m sitting here, wondering what in the world I can do/Got so much to live for, darling/But I just can’t sit here doing nothing, watching that wine destroy you.” Alcohol is helping people get through this insane time, but it is likely hurting them too. Once this goddamn year is over, a lot of folks are going to need to dry out, at least temporarily. “I’m taking you to the doctor, darling/Maybe he knows what’s going on in your head/You’re going to keep on drinking that bad wine/Even the grass that grows on your grave will be cherry red.” Oh yes, that last line is really good. But it is Jeremiah Johnson’s guitar work that holds most of this track’s appeal. That’s followed by “Daddy’s Going Out Tonight,” a good rocking number to raise our spirits a bit. It begins with these lines: “Some people like to take their chances, some like to roll the bones/Some like to play it safe, locked up in their homes.” Well, these days I have to say the latter group is the more sensible, and the more likely to survive the pandemic. But this song is about a better time, when just going out doesn’t mean putting your life at risk. And listening to it, we can mentally put ourselves in that time, in that place. Ah, it’s going to be good to get back to that. Maybe next year? Depends greatly on what happens in the coming election. In the meantime, we can enjoy this song, which has a sort of celebratory feel. It also has a kind of goofy ending. 

At the beginning of “Unemployed Highly Annoyed,” the album’s title track, Jeremiah Johnson sings, “Sure been a struggle now.”  Oh yes. This track soon kicks in with a wonderful force. “Calm the hell down, stop freaking out/Have a little faith in the human race,” he tells us. I would love for my faith to be restored, but it is difficult when the country is being led by greedy, mendacious sociopaths. This song is directly about this insane time, particularly the pandemic, with lines like “Don’t breathe, don’t move/It’s full-blown chaos, it’s doom and gloom” and “You’d better wash your hands, and don’t touch your face.” According to Jeremiah Johnson, the lyrics were all inspired by news headlines and social media, with the song describing the situation as it stands and not taking a particular stance. “Do what you’re told, don’t even think/You can’t call it freedom if you don’t have a choice” are lines I first took to indicate that he was aligned with those who disregard the guidelines, but they are rather taken from online responses to the social distancing guidelines. We are all sick of this pandemic, no question about it, and I understand the desire to just go out and forget about it for a while. But we’ve got to be stronger and hang in there.

“Different Plan For Me” is a mellower blues number, with more excellent and expressive work on guitar, and some good stuff on bass. Its first line, “I’ve been locked up too long,” would under normal circumstances be about someone in jail, but these days it’s about being at home. Crazy world, right? This song is about the money troubles resulting from unemployment during the pandemic. “I thought I had it all figured out/And then everything went south.” It also directly addresses the amount of death our country has already faced: “People dying every day/Over 100,000 people gone now.” While in “Unemployed Highly Annoyed,” he sings, “Have a little faith in the human race,” here he sings, “You know, I try to have faith.” So he is struggling with the idea too, just as most of us are. This is a time when we all have the blues, and this music is blues to help get us together by telling us we are not alone, an important message now, particularly for those who are isolated. Then in “Love And Sympathy,” he continues to reach out to those who are struggling, and offers the reminder, “We need loving and sympathy.” This song is about the troubles and arguments that can arise between people who have been locking down and staying put together during the pandemic. “And it’s all too easy to hand off that pain/Pushing out instead of in, darling, looking for someone to blame.” It’s difficult, because there are specific people we can blame, but we end up lashing out at those around us, the very people who are going to help us get through this horrid time, the very people we should be helping. The line “You miss your family, I miss mine too” hits me hard, because in this time of the pandemic I have not been able to see my family at all. My parents are in a high-risk category and are thousands of miles away. Yet this song does offer hope, in the lines “I believe in you, you believe in me/Let’s take that pain, darling, and let’s set it free.” And toward the end that guitar rises up, pulling us up with it. 

The album concludes with “Rock ‘N’ Roll For The Soul,” a rock and roll song to help us shake loose from the heavy weight we feel. If you are similar to me, then you go to a lot of concerts throughout a normal year. Seeing bands in concert is one of my favorite things to do, and it keeps me sane, keeps me happy to be here on this planet. So this time has been particularly difficult. I haven’t been to a show since March 7th, and that is driving me right to the edge. Well, this song does its best to work as a substitute. “Get up off the chair and dance about the place/Crank it up, make it loud.” Rock and roll can be so good for the soul, no question about it, and this song has a Chuck Berry vibe and influence. I’m glad Jeremiah Johnson leaves us with a fun track, one to get us dancing. I’m looking forward to the time when we’ll be dancing together again.

CD Track List

  1. Burn Down The Garden
  2. Muddy Black Water
  3. Cherry Red Wine
  4. Daddy’s Going Out Tonight
  5. Unemployed Highly Annoyed
  6. Different Plan For Me
  7. Love And Sympathy
  8. Rock ‘N’ Roll For The Soul

Unemployed Highly Annoyed is scheduled to be released on October 30, 2020 on Ruf Records.

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