The clue is in the title as this album is set to undertake a second life. Around a year ago, the colourful and action packed career of Janet Devlin entered a fresh focal stage with an uninhibited stab at creating waves in the malleable world of pop-infused country. Emotional Rodeo was Devlin’s first outing on a label priding itself on parading artists fluctuating around the bounds of convention. OK!Good Records were suitably rewarded with the widespread response to back the artist’s urge not to leave an extended package of songs gathering dust on the table. Hence the birth of a deluxe album with the fourteen tracks from the 2024 record getting a revived airing alongside an additional eight songs Devlin was itching to get out. Customer reaction will always dictate the success of such a venture with the proliferation of the streaming world maybe lending a route for the new songs to seek some light.
The eight new tracks neatly split into two camps with a couple of live versions of popular standards joining half a dozen original songs reflecting the approach Devlin takes to making music. ‘The Gambler’ and ‘I’ll Fly Away’ are not usual bedfellows but then again convention is not in the artist’s DNA. The inclusion backs a highlighted influence that often takes a back seat when Devlin leaps into full-on pop mode. Genre aside, there is a vivacious nature to the music this performer from Northern Ireland makes. Whether launching into beat driven uptempo danceable numbers or adopting a more nuanced approach that potentially expands the horizon, the aim is to be true to a calling.
The pick of the surplus six (ie not making the 2024 cut) is ‘If He Wanted to He Would’. This punchy mid-tempo effort rises to welcome heights in the right places with occasional blasts of divergent harmonica. In its slipstream is another number controlling its pace with ‘Hooked’ using various analogies to convey an emotion, most notably one from the heart. Of the remainder, ’Houston’ commences with a rootsy structure before exploding into a cloudburst of heady vibes. ‘Candy’ draws on Devlin’s story telling chops while jumping between pensive verses and an unabated ultra pop chorus. ‘Plastic Pistol’ possesses an eerie sheen with a sharp edge, while ‘Psycho Ex’ covers the well-trodden ground of revenge with Devlin in a particularly mischievous state of mind as a whirl of production excess assumes control.
NOT MY FIRST EMOTIONAL RODEO feeds into the success derived from its first incarnation and maintains Janet Devlin’s relevance in a fast moving landscape. Fresh converts or fertile ears initially engaged elsewhere get the bonus of a bumper offering where stories are told within a haze of popular pleasing sounds. At the heart is an artist calling upon a kaleidoscope of melodic options to spin the plates of entertaining ideals. Janet Devlin fires volleys on multiple terms with her music leaving open paths to continue a buoyant road to self-discovery.
