I first saw Joseph J. Jones as the opening act for Jack Savoretti at the beautiful Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom in November 2016.

I was impressed with his set so I bought his ‘Hurricane’ EP but I haven’t got round to reviewing it until now.

Opener ‘Whisper To A Hurricane’ has robotic drum beat and keyboards which frames Jones’ deep pop vocals. It wasn’t what I would consider to be a strong opening number but he does a smooth vocal tone which reminds me of John Newman at times.

‘The Dirt’ puts the vocals at the forefront and they are accompanied by piano.  He does sound genuine when he sings which is refreshing in a music industry where some people just sing what is put in front of them without any connection to what they are singing about.

‘Face The Night’ could be a Robbie Williams track with the song having a strong descent to the chorus. Light drumming is brought in to create a moody atmosphere. Powerful pop material for a 2017 audience.

Closing track ‘Stay’ hears Joseph telling someone (not sure if it is a parent, friend or other half) that they can’t make them stay.

One song of his which he performed live in London but is not on the EP is the dark and gritty ‘I’ll Put The Word Out’ which effectively about a person hurting someone and then a friend of the victim ‘puts the word out’. Intense material but highly original.

He does have a pleasant vocal tone just like his contempories Jack Savoretti and Stealth to name a few and this 4-track release is a very listenable introduction to Joseph J. Jones. Expect to hear his name a lot in late 2017/early 2018.

Glenn Sargeant