Jeremy Ivey already had lots of credit in the book on the back of last year's release THE DREAM AND THE DREAMER, which means those big on that album will immediately prick their ears to the new one. Many in the know will already equate the professional and personal relationship Ivey has with the better known Margo Price, who features in two capacities on the record as producer and vocal/percussion contributor. While this may lead to further new listeners engaging, the most attractive entry point for enquiring minds is to listen to the first track and everything else will fall into place.
'Tomorrow People' is the said song, and while it is challenged from several points on WAITING OUT THE STORM as the standout moment, notably 'Paradise Alley'. 'Things Could Get More Worse' and 'White Shadow' for starters, it is an ideal opener to set the scene of what to expect. Ivey pitches from a lofty mound at the outset and it would be foolish to relinquish the challenge of savouring the product in full. Once into the depths of Ivey's acute and provocative songwriting matched with a sound excelling in striking an optimum balance of pitch, the chance of hooking in big style is raised.
While Margo Price's recent album drifted from a country stance to one genre-detached, Ivey is an unrelenting purveyor of residing in a state of perpetual music homelessness. An ideal candidate for the catchment of Americana has to be the conclusion there. Ivey rocks when he wants, dips into a singer-songwriter role that has been relevant from the late sixties to the present day and ensures each moment of the occupied landscape is meticulously infilled with some eclipsing interlude.
As you would expect from a songwriter with plenty of material, experience and purpose, there is ample to derive from Ivey's lyrical output. He churns out these musings within an accessible wave of multi-instrumentation largely framed by the electric guitar with no small help from keys, drums and a hint of steel. A distinct vocal style separates Ivey from the crowd and a point in the future could be foreseen where a several album back catalogue leads to instant recognition from a solitary track.
Jeremy Ivey is in a good place to make music with the legs to travel far. WAITING OUT THE STORM is strident proof of a talent being honed and ultimately not one too dependent on other factors. There may be a cathartic motive for Jeremy Ivey's music, but equal winners are listeners navigating a crowded highway to find it.
As per usual, the good folks at Bandcamp have this release at your fingertips.