Reviews

The Jayhawks
Album: Sanctuary Park
Label: Thirty Tigers
Tracks: 11
Website: https://jayhawksofficial.com/

One of the bands which define Americana as a genre, The Jayhawks are marking 40 years in business with their 12th album, Sanctuary Park. With Gary Louris in charge since the departure of Mark Olson in 2013, the band is completed by long standing members Karen Grotberg on keyboards, bass player Marc Perlman and drummer Tim O'Reagan. They have looked back to producer Bob Ezrin who last produced them on Smile in 2000.

Opening with the catchy single, Keeping Our Heads Above Water, which reflects on newfound love and points the way to a shift in lyrical tone, possibly influenced by Louris having married and moved to Ontario, away from their Minneapolis home recently. This is still the Jayhawks that we have known and loved though. Kingston Girl, and American Midnight especially are filled with the familiar Jayhawks style. The latter is a reflection on America seen from across the border, with Louris lamenting "it's like watching a funeral for a friend. Some see a beginning I only see the end." Marc Perlman's bass growls behind the harmonies on a song which has a mix of hope and misery.

Mr Lincoln is written from the point of view of a musician in the pit of Ford's Theatre on the night of Lincoln's assassination, but as with American Midnight, considers the current state of the USA as much as the aftermath of the Civil War.

Hands Upon the Wheel looks at Louris relationship with his new wife, as do several other songs. Fortunately, contentment has blurred the edge of his words or the music, and it is interesting to have the whole album written by Louris rather than the co-writes with his band colleagues of previous album XOXO.

Sanctuary Park (an actual park in Dundee Ontario) also has fewer contributions from outside players. Mike Johnson's pedal steel on Hands Upon the Wheel is the most obvious but producer Ezrin contributes Banjo and Todd Lumley plays Accordion on a couple songs.

Always And A Day is a punchy rocker driven by Grotberg's piano chords and highlights Perlman's bass playing which is more prominent than on earlier albums and drives the song along. The title song shows that Sanctuary Park also lives in Louris' head as a place for memories and reflections to surface. It also features his best guitar solo of the album. Johnson's pedal steel returns for It'll be Alright Tonight, which quotes Stevie Nicks song Dreams in the first line. Rowing The Boat could well be another celebration of marriage and friendship and ends the album with a brief delicate song that is just about the perfect evocation of love.

After 40 years, with breaks, and 12 albums The Jayhawks remain one of the key bands in Americana. If you're a fan you will love it, if you're new to the band it's a good representation of their recent work, but maybe start with a couple of their 1990s albums and work back to this one.

Tim Martin

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