John Kamys - I Want Some Sun

The most successful music artists in history have a way of reinventing themselves and pushing the envelope on their own musical process.  Jinx Titanic is no different; whether he is swaggering madly with the Super 8 Cum Shot crew or he's crooning with the Ladykillers, Jinx has no problem letting the public see what inspires him and showing different sides of his personality.  Trading in his punk heavy beats and his big brass band for slower tempos and more melodic productions, John Kamys' 2009 release of "I Wantt Some Sun" will certainly show you a side of him you've never seen before.  I have to say with all honesty and as much heartfelt sincerity as possible, it's one of the best albums I've heard in a long time.  It's one of those albums that will be known as "Critically Acclaimed" and I hope that it goes farther than that and that it's publicly loved as well.

For all intent and purpose, it would be easy to classify this record as a Country album but that's deceptive.  It's Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave and Porter Waggoner and Tex Ritter all rolled up into one package with amazing brass and strings and harmonicas but what it has mostly is so much heart and soul poured into an amazing record.  Over all the influences and beautiful production are John's gravely vocals that are just so distinctive and honest.  What he doesn't give away in his writing, you get in the inflection of each purposefully placed syllable.  The record is vulnerable and it's raw and it's earthy and it's a little bit of everything that makes American music amazing.  It touches us on a level that's accessible to everyone.  We are able to dig into our experiences and find meaning into each song.  So I don't think this is a country album, I think it's a John Kamys album.  Plain and simple.  It's not labeled, it is what it is.  It's love lorn and it's romantic and it's the gamut of feelings that can be accessed in 10 songs.

The songs paint pictures and build images in my mind.  When I hear the slow deliberate roll of "I Am Your Emergency", I see a car in slow motion flipping end over end in the most dramatic fashion ever.  The hopeful romantic in me sees a man in love sitting on a hearth as snow softly falls serenading the one he loves for the first time in "Boyfriend".  This song is going to stick with me for a long long time as it hits me right where I need it to right now. "Lilies of the Valley" just gives me a mournful kind of feeling because it's the end of something, whatever that something is.  His voice is just so soulful on this track and it makes me just close my eyes and stop what I'm doing and give the track my full attention.  Then when you fall into "Caught Between Two Worlds", you are taken to the Nick Cave place.  The deep dark place that runs chills up and down your spine.  And it doesn't really get too much happier after that because we are confronted with the doubt of what happens when the other shoe drops as John sings "Waiting for the Roof to Cave In".  Everything is going well and life is good, but how long does that get to last?

While his other projects have been playful and fun and sexy and dirty and all of the above rolled together, this album is 180 degrees from that.  It is one for the history books.  It's touching and it's hits you right in the feeling spot.  Don't get me wrong, "I Want Some Sun" and "Good Morning Wayne" are super fun tracks and they are fantastic but I am really in love with the more slowed down songs on this album.  They just stimulate so many emotions and I can really connect with them.  It's going to be on heavy rotation for a while because it came when I needed it.  I can't recommend this album enough and I hope you are able to get as much out of it as I have.

You can pick it up on Amazon for $8.99 and it's worth every penny in the self discovery you're going to do for yourself alone.