Jon Shain: "Odds...And Even So" (2026) CD Review

Jon Shain is known for his work in the groups Flyin' Mice and Wake in the 1990s, as well as for his solo material, focusing on folk and blues. On his new album, Odds...And Even So, he presents some excellent original material. He plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resonator slide guitar, mandolin, and bass on these tracks. And though this is a solo album rather than a duo album, Jon Shain is joined by FJ Ventre, who plays bass, keyboards and percussion, and provides some backing vocal work. The two of them also produced the album, and FJ Ventre engineered and mixed it. Several guest musicians play on various tracks.

The disc's first track, "Morning Song," begins with some warm, pretty guitar work. It feels welcoming, like an old friend reaching out to calm us, to aid us. Check out these opening lines: "Oh, the diamonds grown up in the night/In the morning cool and bright/Try to hold them, they just melt away/Like a dream held to the light." And then he encourages us, "Dance to the morning song." And, yes, it feels like a new day, a time filled with possibilities. "I'm waiting for you/I'm waiting for you, dear." After those lines, some percussion is added. It is as if more elements are waking, joining the dance. And just before the end, there is some psychedelic guitar work, which is surprising and interesting. Even as it comes in, the music begins to fade. That's followed by "It's A Long Life," a title that stood out to me when I first glanced at the CD case, mainly because lately I've been thinking about how short life is. There is a moment in Magnolia, when Jason Robards' character says, "Life ain't short, it's long," a perspective that intrigued me even then. Anyway, the first lines of this song are "It's a long life, then a short life/As the years go whipping by/Barely time to say hello before we say goodbye." When we meet that special someone, it feels like we have great, long life ahead of us. Until we don't. And there is no real promise of anything afterward. This is probably it, friends. So enjoy that time. It is gone in an instant. "Don't question the man upstairs, I'm told he has it all well planned/But it's still dark here at the seaside where the water meets the sand." Wes Collins provides backing vocal work on this one, Dave Mattacks is on drums, and Doug Hammer adds some really nice work on piano.

And speaking of how brief our time is, Jon Shain in the next song, "Harlequin Moon," sings, "Evening falls/And falls again/Stars come out and laugh about/The plans of men." The stars seem eternal compared to our paltry lifespans, but even the stars will eventually die out. So sometimes it comes down to just one night, when we focus on the present. "Harlequin moon/Stay out with me tonight." Maybe that's all we have. This track features some wonderful guitar work, and this track has a pleasant vibe. It is followed by "Butterfly Wings," a song of connecting to someone who is at a distance. "Call on me every little once in a while/You used to call me every night." This song features a particularly good vocal performance, and has something of a 1970s flavor. And as he sings about reaching out, Lizzy Ross joins him on vocals, so we get the sense of both people reaching out to each other, something that makes us feel better. "Butterfly wings/Butterfly wings/So fragile, so fleeting/Still the wings keep beating." Dave Mattacks plays drums on this track.

Dave Mattacks also plays drums on "No Hay Luz," and Rodrigo Dorfman sings lead on this one. The lyrics to this song are delivered in Spanish, and there is a Latin feel to the music. "No hay luz/No hay paz/No hay descanso," Rodrigo sings at the beginning. But then he tells us, "Todo esta bien/Todo es normal." Ah, what are we to believe? That is followed by "Virginia (The Lighthouse Keeper's Song)," the title of which makes me think of Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse. This song is one of longing and love. "I never did get over you, Virginia/All these many years we've spent apart." It is told from the perspective of a man who has retreated to the tower of a lighthouse. It is a song of searching, but searching only from one place, which is interesting. "Though sometimes I still dream about a life/Where nothing fell apart." Oh man, those lines cut right into us. But don't worry, because some pretty work on mandolin follows those lines, helping to cheer us a bit.

"Balsam Mountain Rag" has a light, playful vibe right from the start, that guitar work taking us back many decades, and delighting us in the process. And soon the addition of clarinet makes that feeling even stronger. That's Dennis Lichtman on clarinet. "She'd been living there about a hundred years/I guess she missed the train/Back in 1925, back when she was still alive/She picked a tune and started to croon." Adding to the delightful vibe of this track, Jon Shain uses the word "haint." I can think of only three other songs that employ that particular word: Jumpin' Gene Simmons' "Haunted House," Charlie Musselwhite's "Ghosts In Memphis," and Young Fresh Fellows' "Three Gasonading Saints" (good company, don't you think?). There is a wonderful lead on clarinet in the second half. Jon follows that with "Thank God The Liquor Stores Don't Close On Christmas Eve," which is my favorite title of the album. With that title, I thought it might be a humorous number. And while there is a certain humor to that line, this song has a more somber vibe than I'd expected, and a lonesome sound at the start. "I'm not headed home/For the holidays/I can't help but wishing, though/I could somehow get away." Kaitlin Grady adds some gorgeous work on cello, helping make this track stand out.

"Song For Lynn" is a pretty guitar instrumental, the album's sole instrumental track. It has a thoughtful, rather touching sense about it. Jon Shain then gets more into a blues area with "Shelter." The song opens with these lines: "AC breaks in summer/The furnace goes in fall/You can't afford your coffee/And your lover doesn't call." Yes, it's clear we are in blues territory just from those lyrics. And he mentions how the list of troubles goes on and on. I think many of us can relate. "Nothing holds together/Things just fall apart." The album then ends with "There's No Saying No To Nora," a playful number, one that will have you smiling before long. "Oh, there's no saying no to Nora/She's one hardheaded senora/No sense in getting mad/Her will is ironclad/No, there's no saying no to Nora."

CD Track List

1. Morning Song
2. It's A Long Life
3. Harlequin Moon
4. Butterfly Wings
5. No Hay Luz
6. Virginia (The Lighthouse Keeper's Song)
7. Balsam Mountain Rag
8. Thank God The Liquor Stores Don't Close On Christmas Eve
9. Song For Lynn
10. Shelter
11. There's No Saying No To Nora

Odds...And Even So was released on September 1, 2026 on Flyin' Records.