Jour Majesty is essentially singer/songwriter Michael Perry and some gifted musical cohorts. Hailing from Los Angeles, Perry writes traditional country folk songs combined with a modern lyrical style and production. I can detect influences from older songwriters like Buck Owens, Gram Parsons and the rootsy Americana of The Band, along with more modern artists in the country/folk genre like Ryan Adams and Jake Bugg.
This E.P. Three Winks consists of four songs and has been produced to near perfection. Opening track Angel introduces the Jour Majesty sound; crystal clear picked acoustic guitars and delicate percussion form the backdrop for Perry’s gentle, warm and likeable voice that conveys a real love of the music. Angel is a poignant, sweet song, with nice lyrical imagery (‘You’re my angel…shining in the ‘morrow light’) and a subtle cameo from a trumpet adds a nice touch of sonic colour.
Second track Photograph is a wistful, nostalgic song about finding an old photograph that tugs at the heart strings without being at all cloying, a delicate balance which Perry pulls off well. It features some gorgeously dreamy slide guitar, as well as some very fine drumming that begins with subtle brushes on the snare and builds gradually throughout the song.
Dancing Shoes, the third track, is an upbeat, fun old-fashioned country song, adding some lovely accordion into the instrumental blend. Last song Idaho is a nice closing track with more effective poetic imagery (‘listening to the static passing railroad tears…’), also employing accordion and a little poignant harmonica too.
All in all, this is an excellent E.P. with four varied, consistently strong songs that are all suitable for radio play, which I think bodes well for Jour Majesty reaching a wider audience in the future. I look forward to hearing a whole album.
Alex Faulkner
Verdict 8.2 out of 10
LINK: BANDCAMP
The Faulkner Review 