Reviews
Artist: Luke Jackson
EP: Run & Hide
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 5
Website:http://www.lukepauljackson.com
When someone tells you that you've got to hear an up and coming guitarist and singer/songwriter you might make a mental note to check them out. When the person making that recommendation is Steve Knightley, you get home and start checking out the internet.
It wasn't long before I found myself sitting down at my computer listening to a couple of songs that pretty much explained why Steve Knightly highly recommends Luke Jackson. He's an impressive singer/songwriter with a really powerful and distinctive voice and guitar style.
What Steve neglected to mention was that Luke Jackson has yet to turn eighteen, then why would he? When music sounds this good age doesn't come into it. The folk and roots world produces many great young musicians, when it comes to acoustic blues, I've got the feeling that Luke Jackson has just redefined the bar.
Until recently about the only place you could hear Luke Jackson was live, via the internet or via one of his increasing number of radio appearances, his live in the studio session for Bob's Folk Show, really set the Facebook feed ablaze.
Fortunately that's all changed with the release of his debut EP, "Run & Hide", a release that sounds like it's got an old soul at the helm, the songs are as deep as his voice and seem to draw on experiences that he surely can't have had yet, it short it's a totally debut by any standards.
This is folk blues that can happily stand up there with the best of them, it's refreshingly simple, predominantly guitar, with occasional fiddle and percussion, but it's the quality of the voice that gives this that real spine tingling feeling.
If you get the chance, go out and get "Run & Hide" not because it will become one of those EPs that's talked about in years to come, changing hands for silly money, but because it's an EP that is absolutely stacked with great music.
Artists like Luke Jackson don't come along that often, this is one heck of a debut.
Neil King
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