After three acclaimed albums with band The Indications, the Louisiana singer returns with a fantastic solo LP, themed around his hometown of Hillaryville, and packed with beautiful, powerful soul numbers of grit, melancholy, joy and defiance. His voice would sound great singing almost any song, but these are not mere standards, but full of standouts, from the slow, orchestra-backed opener Gerri Marie to the toe-tapping bluesy guitar former Song of the Day Lord Have Mercy (“Can you see me in those sad smiling eyes?”), the powerfully building organ and sharp percussion number I Want You, the rich, moving gospel of the title track, the funky Stevie Wonder-esque See It Through, Sadie, or the jazz-flecked Letter To My 17 Year Old Self, or the sunny melancholy of a version of the Donny Hathaway number Someday We’ll All Be Free with added hip hop to support Jones’s soulful soaring. Hillaryville is a community founded by freed slaves following the end of the Civil War following reparations, so there’s even more power here with all sheer brilliance of musicianship, voice and emotion. Another classic. Out on Dead Oceans.
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