While it has been interesting watching the rise of Jarrod
Dickenson over the last three years, what has been missing is that follow up
full length release to really catapult him to his destiny. In fact this hugely
anticipated record was due to drop in early March in time for Jarrod’s latest
UK tour. We will have to wait and see whether the delay is eventually going to
herald further good news, but on the evidence of this Birmingham show
everything is ticking along splendidly on the performance front.
This is the fourth occasion of seeing Jarrod live in
Birmingham since he first supported Diana Jones at the Hare and Hounds in 2014.
All the other subsequent gigs have been at the Glee Club, although probably the
major boosts for his increased popularity in the city were due to support slots
at the larger venues for The Waterboys and Bonnie Raitt. Perhaps a measure for
the progression from a headline perspective was a switch in rooms in the Glee
Club since last year’s visit, the utilisation of a full band and a turnout
showing a massive exponential increase on previous shows.
Joining Jarrod on stage for the five-strong band gathering
included his wife Claire on backing vocals and lead guitarist JP Ruggieri, who
doubled up as the opening act. This was a pertinent choice as JP did have copies
of his upcoming solo album available for sale and subsequently used the half
hour slot to showcase a number of fine songs from it. Claire also joined JP on
backing vocals, a role she carries out so well with Jarrod especially when she
wanders into duet territory on ‘Your
Heart Belongs to Me’.
Despite the clear Anglo influence that his life direction
has taken, Jarrod still comes across as the quintessential Texan singer-songwriter,
cutting a strong figure on stage with precise vocals to match. The sound,
especially in full band mode, leans heavily in an Americana/smooth country rock
direction with a general polished sheen making it ripe for wide engagement. In
fact the overriding effect of watching an effortless performance for just under
an hour and a half was an eagerness to get more of his material available in
the recorded format.
There were a couple of contrasting covers in the set. First
up Jarrod paid tribute to fellow Texan, the late Guy Clark with a version of ‘Dublin Blues’ and a proclamation of what
an influence he has been on his career. Indeed this was the second cover of a
Guy Clark song over a weekend of seeing two contemporary touring Americana
artists play shows; the other being American Aquarium. Towards the end of the
set, the band included the widely known and popular number ‘Walk of Life’, suggesting one eye on
courting a more mainstream appeal. There is certainly a stylish panache about
Jarrod which has the potential to attract music fans from outside the confines
of pure Americana.
From detected inter-song chat, references to the new record
were seemingly kept to a minimum with only one song specifically mentioned.
Like previous shows, old favourites like ‘California
(Do You Still)’, ‘Little Black Dress’, ‘Way
Past Midnight’ and ‘Gold Rush’
headed an impressive line-up of original songs, depicting Jarrod as a seriously
impressive songwriter and a performer equally adept at crossing the line from
studio to stage.
On an evening when were subtly informed by JP that Jarrod
was celebrating his birthday, the lack of shiny new CDs and shapely vinyl to
sell didn’t deter a lengthy line of well-wishers at the merchandise table after
the gig. Maybe they were offering a personal happy returns or making further
enquires as to the record’s release date.
What was indisputable was that a packed Glee Club audience
had just witnessed another first rate Jarrod Dickenson show and an artist who
continues a steep climb in presence each time he visits the city. Things are
looking rosy for Jarrod at the moment and maybe even better times are just
around the corner for an artist of immense eminence.
www.jarroddickenson.com
