The last time I heard from Jonah Atkins was in 2017. His previous album High Hopes Kids was about a young teenage kid unsure of the future. Atkins continues a very similar coming of age theme with his self-titled album Jonah Atkins. He explains: “The album is about being on the cusp of complete independence, but feeling behind the curve compared to my friends and colleagues.”
Well before I even start the key to this is comparing yourself to who you were yesterday not comparing yourself to other people. In my forty years on this planet that is one nugget I think that is very helpful. The album contains eight songs and musically this is definitely his best work yet. I thought the songwriting and delivery was consistently good. The album starts off with “On The Mend '' which is a great combination of reflection and hope. It’s catchy and I thought the vocals were exceptional. “Two Steps Back” is another good song. It’s reflective and introspective but even more importantly is musically engaging. There's warm pads, classical guitar and minor electronic flourishes. “One Big Thing” is the most chipper and warm yet but still has that foundation of meditative melancholy. “I Resist” was solid but a clear highlight was the beautiful “I Promise” which is a sparse song. The energy gets moving with the Americana inspired “Not Ready” which is a single worthy song. “A Message, A Reminder” was another slower song similar to “I Promise” that was another highlight. The album ends with “Feels Good to Laugh” which is hopeful, sentient and a good way to close. I thought the stripped songs were his best. The songs with a full arrangement would have benefited from a more live quality from the drums but besides that I thought this was a great album. I love hearing an artist improve and that’s what you have here. Recommended.
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