A Heart and an Open Road

Album Review

For fans of blues-rock, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Patrick Stanfield Jones might be a pleasant surprise, a revelation, or even an anomaly considering his Native American/Chinese/African/Caucasian heritage. Steeped in jazz and surrounded by those types of musicians (organist/clarinetist Rave Tesar and saxophonist Kit McClure in particular), Jones (whose brother is percussionist Kevin Bujo Jones) offers up this set of originals on the distinctly jazz-oriented Motema label. Make no mistake that he's a rocker with pop sensibilities (he admits to loving Frank Sinatra) and adds a bit of swing and croon to these tunes on occasion. It's charming and yet tough music, original to a degree, and fun to listen to as Jones tweaks these songs with his own flair for the dramatic and a definite rock bravado. In a Southern style, the title track is an anthem to being on the road, Jones gets down on the chunky funk of "Block of Ice" ("I fell in love with a block of ice") and goes for a far more acoustic, rural sound during "Hammer" with slide guitar and harmonica before moving back to his rock/blues centerpiece. You'll never hear a version of "Sunshine of Your Love" like this as it is turned into a lounge lizard's delight with an easy jazz swing. It's amazing how effortlessly Jones goes through the different motions of American music while retaining his tough but sensitive-guy image, a refreshing stance in a general world of one-note electric blues. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi