Alt-country meets skillful songwriting
The Knoxville-based band Jubal defines itself as alt-country. Alt-country is a wonderfully useful label right up to the moment you have to write about it. At that point it becomes a nightmarishly inclusive term covering so many different sounds that you could play two different bands, both billed as alt-country, and find the only thing remotely similar between them is that they both are billed as alt-country.
It’s the kind of term that, when applied to a band you and a friend are both listening to, makes perfect sense. Apply it to a band the other person has never heard and you’ve given them nothing solid to go on.
So first things first, what is Jubal, after all? I lean far more to towards the “alt” moniker than the “country” one. Their sound has evolved considerably from the early days of Bloodroot, their first album.
In fact, their earlier work, up to and including last year’s The Peso Tapes, is country enough to be best described as “alt-country”, wherein the themes and instrumentation are most closely those of the country genre, albeit recorded in a raw, refreshing way that defies the, “Hey, we’re just making hamburgers here” vibe that has become the industry standard.
Good stuff, but today’s discussion is really about the most recent album. County Ball is the first release to feature the band’s latest full lineup (the band was originally a duo, adding various players here and there along the way). That influx of new players with new backgrounds and styles is, I think, the impetus behind the evolution of the band’s sound.
Their sound was good before, but this new direction, an expansion really, is very smart indeed. They manage to remain true to their roots while substantially broadening their creative palette.
So, after all of this, what is the band’s sound today? The overwhelming impression I get is that of the singer/songwriter, a genre that has always been fluid but as its hallmarks boasts clever and thoughtful lyrics about relatable, “every person” subjects.
Take that approach to writing and pair it with an ensemble of skilled musicians who are more dedicated to taste than flashiness, and you have a fair idea of where Jubal is coming from.
The band’s current lineup is made up of Taylor Kress (founder), Jasmine Hoisington, Jake Smith, and Luke Bowers and the audio evidence suggests that this is an ideal arrangement.
Consisting of twelve tracks, County Ball runs the gamut from dreamy to dirty, all the while maintaining a level of restraint that makes it clear the band is the full sum of its parts. What I mean is, this isn’t a case of “a backing band” for a “songwriter”, though the songwriting is spot on.
Neither is it an arrangement where “everyone gets a solo” or one player has that moment in which they outshine all the rest. This is a collective group; there are no “stars”. Every member shines, but they all shine together, as a single musical entity comprised of many parts.
That sort of teamwork should be endemic to any band. It is not. Some groups are, by design, meant to highlight a central figure; others do the same thing by default. Jubal manages a level of internal harmony that is rare to see and delightful to hear.
The result is an album whose greatest descriptor is intelligent—intelligent music, skillfully played, incorporating some elements of country music and instrumentation, but borrowing just as much from ‘90s college radio, ‘70s singer/songwriter, and not a lick of anything from the ‘80s.
The album is available now through all the typical channels and the band will be appearing in Chattanooga at OddStory Brewing on Saturday, July 27th.
A final word on what’s outstanding about Jubal, and their latest album in particular: This is the sort of music you can enjoy thoroughly, just letting it play in the background. Smart, tasteful, and thoughtful, it stands just fine as “something to play in the car or at home”.
The real treasure, though, is that you can choose to really listen to the music, track the lyrics, enjoy the interplay of seemingly disparate instrumentation, and experience it thoroughly on a whole other level above and beyond “just music”.