Jordan Tice: “Motivational Speakeasy” (2020) CD Review

I have to say first of all that I love the title Motivational Speakeasy. Some album titles just kind of jump at you, and such is the case with this one. It also somehow seems a perfect title for these strange times we find ourselves in. Jordan Tice is a singer and songwriter who works in the bluegrass and folk realms, and is a member of Hawktail. Motivational Speakeasy is a solo album, truly, the singer and guitarist unaccompanied on these eleven original tracks. Yet this was not a decision made for him by the restrictions of a pandemic. These songs were written before the coronavirus took over the world, and their presentation is by design, not by necessity. The music seems influenced by some of the classic folk artists, with a special attention paid to lyrics. Many of Jordan Tice’s lyrical phrases show a certain sense of humor, one of the most important human qualities, putting him in the same sphere as artists like John Hartford, David Bromberg and John Prine.

The album opens with “Tell Me Mama,” which has a wonderful acoustic blues sound, and features some really nice work on guitar. But for me it is the song’s lyrics that stand out. These lines in particular tickle me: “Yeah, you give a mouse for a cookie/He asks you for a drink/You give me some of your loving/Now it’s all that I can think about all day.” That’s followed by “Matter Of Time,” one that has a positive vibe, even before we get a taste of the lyrics. Check out these lines: “People gonna try and build you up/Others gonna knock you down/But most just kind of smile and nod when you’re comin’ ‘round/So just do what you can/Move a little more down the line/You’re going to make it where you’re going in a matter of time.” This song is making me feel so much better about the world, and about my place in it. That is due to those lyrics, but also to that friendly vocal approach, helping us feel a little less alone. Plus, this track features some good guitar work. What more can we ask for from a song? I think this track is going to appeal to a lot of folks.

“Walkin’” is a cheerful, fast-paced folk number that features some impressive guitar-playing. The song itself, the way the lyrics are delivered, feels like someone moving about out there in the world. There is a sense of direction about it, a sense of purpose, while reminding us of the brevity of life, that we ought not waste time. Jordan Tice sings, “And I realized then/That everything we know/Is going to come to an end.” The song’s final line “‘Cause it seems the whole world was created by a rambling mind” stands out for me. Interestingly, Jordan continues that thought in a song titled “Creation’s Done,” a slower, somewhat bluesy number that begins with these lines: “Creation’s done/God is gone.”  Seems a serious number, so then the line “But he left some food in the fridge” surprised me and made me laugh aloud the first time I listened to this track. This song asks us gently to not screw up the world, with God saying he might come back to check on us. That’s followed by “Ghost Story.” And maybe it is surprising to find that a track with the word “Story” in its title is an instrumental, but the guitar does seem to have a tale to relate here.

In “Where I’m At,” Jordan sings, “You can read between the lines/You can look for the signs/But no matter what you find/It ain’t gonna make sense this time.” Now those are some lines that really speak to me. This might be a personal song, but it certainly works on a larger scale as well. This one has a pleasant folk sound, which gives lines like “It’s been beautiful, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this time together too/But I think it’s through” a certain humor. “Bad Little Idea” is another that made me laugh, a certain line catching me by surprise, especially as it follows lines about building a home together. The line is “Because we don’t know love from a hole in the ground.” Yes, this is not quite a love song, but it is certainly an honest song, about desire and need and getting it wrong. “And sooner or later we’ll be right back alone where we belong.” And I love the phrase “compatibly confused.”

The name Stratford automatically gets me to thinking about Shakespeare, and as I listened to “Stratford Waltz,” a pretty instrumental track, images from some of the comedies came to me, particularly the lighter, more romantic moments, though apparently this track has absolutely nothing to do with the bard, and is named after a street in Nashville. So, all right. Then “Ready To Go” comes on with a sense of urgency, like time is running out. “But I’ll do what I can/With what it is I know/Before the angels come and take me/From this world here below/And if you tell me you’re all right/And we can make it through this night/Maybe then I’ll be ready to go.” That’s followed by “Bachelorette Party,” a spirited, sprightly instrumental track. The album concludes with “Goin’ On Down,” a rather sweet number that addresses rambling and traveling. I love these lines: “Old restlessness is telling me to leave it all behind/Old restlessness is telling me to leave it all behind/But when I hear him out, what I find/Is old restlessness don’t have a plan in mind/It just says leave it all behind.”

CD Track List

1. Tell Me Mama
2. Matter Of Time
3. Walkin’
4. Creation’s Done
5. Ghost Story
6. Where I’m At
7. Bad Little Idea
8. Stratford Waltz
9. Ready To Go
10. Bachelorette Party
11. Goin’ On Down
    

Motivational Speakeasy was released on September 25, 2020 on Padiddle Records.