Jonathan Billings – Jonathan Billings

Released: 2014

Label: Self-released

When I bought: 2024

This is another record I picked up in She Said Boom in Toronto. As I said when writing about 1977, I wanted to get albums from local artists and small labels.

This record was sitting in the local artists section, and came as a vinyl/CD package, which is pretty good value for CA$6.99 (£3.90).

I know nothing about Jonathan Billings, and can't find too much online (there's no information on his Spotify page) but it is clear there are two wolves inside the man - one is Dave Gilmore, and the other is Rory Gallagher.

The majority of the album is solid, good old fashioned blues rocks.

'78 Buick','Yorkville', 'No Sympathy' 'When You See Me' are no nonsense tracks, with crunchy riffs and searing guitar solos.

This is where the Rory Gallagher (and other blues player) influences are really on show. It sounds good on the record, but I reckon the best place for this music is hearing it live in a North American dive bar.

'The Greater Day' shows off the Pink Floyd side of Billings, with fluttering reverb on the vocals, jazzy cymbal playing, and a bass solo in the extended outro all revealing different colours in his palette. Definitely the album's highlight.

'Limited Life' and the instrumental track 'Floating' also show there's life beyond the blues.

Is it a record I would go back to on a regular basis? Probably not, but that's a personal taste thing as opposed to it not being good.

Billings is clearly a talented musician, and I actually think he's better when he moves away from what seems to be his natural bluesy instincts.

The vinyl itself is a gorgeous blue colour, and for a self-released record it's definitely something to be proud of.

If you like blues rock, with a splash of 70s era Pink Floyd thrown in, you should give this a listen for sure.

5/10.

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