JP Soars is a known quantity in blues circles; in 2009 he won the International Blues Challenge and the Albert King guitar award, and he’s been nominated for and/or won half a dozen prestigious accolades in the genre. His new album Brick by Brick with the Little Village foundation is fun, easy listening. The collaborations couldn’t be stronger, with Anne Harris on fiddle and Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers on backup vocals. Switching between varied styles is a signature of Soars, who goes from bluegrass to blues to heavy metal to jazz in the space of a single 11 track album. Those switches carry a risk of feeling disjointed or clunky, but there’s a soulful throughline that keeps everything mostly cohesive. Soars says the album grew out of experimentation with styles and songs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the result is a cheerful and hopeful record that sounds great and feels joyous.
The record kicks off with the title track “Brick by Brick” (4:08), a classic blues rock riff driven tune with a message about building up a project, and “Jezebel” (3:38), a jazzy 60’s inspired tune with a witchy woman theme and an almost surfer rock bouncy feel. The third track is “Keep Good Company” (3:55), with a killer organ part, great gospel-inspired backing vocals, and rocking-muted chugs in the riffs. “Keep Good Company” is the first track on the record I felt was just perfect, with a hopeful take on the theme of being mindful of our lesser natures.
The fourth track is the transcendent “Can’t Keep Her Off My Mind” (3:43), a fast and fun bluegrass-inspired tune with a stellar fiddle part and excellent banjo and lap steel sounds. It’s the best track on the album, the type of song that can send a listener into a euphoric trance. Can’t beat a song about a girl. The fifth track is “In the Moment” (5:49), a flamenco-inspired romantic instrumental track that takes turns sounding slow and romantic, bluesy and heavy, and playful.
Tracks 6 and 7 are “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” 4:29, a classic Little Milton cover with fun horns and a swinging rhythm, and “The Good Lord Will Provide” (4:12), a unifying hopeful spiritual tune with a swampy edge. Tracks 8 and 9 are “Honey and Hash” (4:05), a harmonica-backed honky tonk dance number, and “Merlin Stomp” (3:08), a bluegrass-inspired instrumental song with soaring fiddles and banjo runs. The melodies in “Merlin Stomp” are just as hopeful as the lyrics in “The Good Lord Will Provide” even without vocals, a testament to the musical skill of the artists.
Brick by Brick ends with “Things Ain’t Working Out” (4:42), a swampy guitar-driven breakup song, and “Down by the Water” (3:50), a jazzy take on classic pop country tunes about how great the beach is. “Down by the Water” is a track built for sipping margaritas at a swim-up bar. It feels almost like a ska track minus the bright brass, and while it’s a great fun tune, it feels a tiny bit out of step with the rest of the album. The tone shift is a little jarring, the only time on the record where the eclectic style shifts don’t feel entirely smooth.
In summation, Brick by Brick is great. It’s hopeful, equal parts classic and refreshing, and it rocks. Out of 11 tracks, I rated five of them as 10/10 perfection. It’s an album with a lot of replayability, and the standout track “Can’t Keep Her Off My Mind” is an instant addition to any romance playlist. Brick By Brick hit shelves this past summer, and is well worth a blues fan’s time.
The Review: 9/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Merlin Stomp
– That’s What Love Will Make You Do
– Honey and Hash
– Keep Good Company
– Can’t Keep Her Off My Mind
The Big Hit
– Can’t Keep Her Off My Mind
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