Album Review – James Ellis and the Jealous Guys “Country Lion”
Don’t look now, but the Aussies in 2020 are rivaling all of your favorite American independent country artists, and are outright running circles around all those clowns in the mainstream when it comes to churning out quality records. With folks like Roo Arcus, Arna Georgia, and others already in the clubhouse with top notch projects, here comes James Ellis and the Jealous Guys out of Melbourne with some serious heartbreaking throwback honky tonk stuff on their new album Country Lion that’s begging to be spun, and spun again.
Let’s just get what’s the greatest signifier of James Ellis and his music out of the way here first. Unlike a lot of country artists from outside of the United States who either roll off their native accents or outright put on an American one—whether it’s Roo Arcus from Australia or Harmonica Sam from Sweden—James Ellis is all Down Under in the way he sings, not trying to fool anyone. It’s a refreshing approach, even if initially his voice may come as a bit of an acquired taste for some of those Stateside.
Nonetheless, even if the voice of James Ellis is a little foreign to your ear at first, subsequent listens reveal it as one of his greatest assets. Hell, hillbillies have been poked fun at for singing through their noses for going on a century. All the early greats of the genre had to have a distinctive voice to sing country, and James Ellis satisfies that requisite. As the name of the first album from James Ellis and the Jealous Guys released in 2018 states, “It Ain’t Texas (But It Ain’t Bad).”
Meanwhile the music is all so familiar in a warm-feeling and reassuring way. It’s classic, and studious of the traditional forms of country, and executed with fine precision and care. Whether it’s the hard country two-tone bass and twangy Telecaster of “The Sun Will Rise Again,” the steel guitar and fiddle of the upbeat “Forever Close,” the Jim Reeves-style Countrypolitan moments found in the heartbreaking “Take Me Back In Time,” or the more folk-influenced “Records With Our Friends,” it’s all so familiar and universal in sounds and sentiment, it’s appeal crosses borders, and hemispheres.
Country Lion feels perfect for listening to on a road trip through the country, or oozing out of a jukebox in a roadside diner or honky tonk. Transformative of time and place to a dusty, sepia scene where the moments are simpler and popular music was so much better than it is today, this is music you play to forget bad times and remember the good ones.
Written solely by James Ellis, the words are both steeped in country music style and lore, while also resonating within the modern soul and avoiding fuddy-duddy put-on’s and tropes. The music of the record rises to the occasion at every turn, even as Ellis asks for a bit of flexibility around the traditional country foundation in a few songs.
The album was recorded mostly in Australia, but produced by Margo Price keyboard player Micah Hulscher, and Alex Muñoz who also works with Price. Micah Hulscher also appears on the recent (and great) record from David Quinn, and similar to that title, Country Lion takes advantage of all the tasty parts of the East Nashville classic country influence, while leaving the bad tendencies like putting style before substance, and turning in fuzzy-sounding recordings by the wayside.
One of the challenges of traditional country music is how adhere to all those tried and true traditions, while also asserting something unique to both keep it spicy, and separate yourself from the massive catalog of classic country songs already sitting on shelves. By bringing an authentic Australian perspective to the music, James Ellis and the Jealous Guys inject a distinctive flavor to a familiar and beloved music form.
1 3/4 Guns Up
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November 3, 2020 @ 12:01 pm
Great band, partied to them at fesivals a few times.
These guys get the dancefloor pumping in a good relaxed way.
Love their version on Gillian Welch’s “Wayside” but I don’t think they recorded it.
November 3, 2020 @ 12:20 pm
I feel sorry for posting more than usual. And I’m not sure I should… I hate the internet, and the people who live in it, anyway.
But this is not 1 3/4 Guns Up … The music is great, and maybe that’s the focus here. The lyrics and the voice (the main factor from George’s range to Waylon’s growl) is sub par.
I might have outgrown this website, and it makes me feel bad. Because I have so many good memories here.
I might take a break from SCM, but I had to post this.
I’ll check in once in a while and I wish you guys all the best.
November 3, 2020 @ 8:57 pm
Hey Nicholas,
I addressed the ratings system last time we talked, and as I said then, I understand, appreciate, and recognize that there is a consistency in how I rate albums. But I also don’t see how I can fundamentally, or significantly change that.
But something else that I think is important to point out here from your comment, and it’s something that is a common misconception about Saving Country Music, is that I don’t see this website solely, or even majoritively, as simply a music recommendation and review site for individuals, like Pitchfork or something. In fact when I started it, I didn’t post any album or song reviews at all. Certainly reviewing albums, and people using those reviews to find new music to listen to is a significant part of the site. But so is attempting to influence the country music industry—from the independent to the mainstream—to a place where the roots of country, more substance in music, and more equality for artists are put in higher regard. The underlying mission is to “save country music.” The largest concentration of readers on this site are on Music Row in Nashville. And that’s the reason I talk about mainstream issues and artists right beside independent ones.
Something else important to point out here is that I am the only outlet in North America to cover this James Ellis album, and it was released over two weeks ago. And I might be wrong, but I believe I’m the only online outlet, period. Same goes for the Bloody Jug Band album I reviewed earlier this week. Same goes for many of the albums I review, possibly as much as 1/3rd of them. If I don’t write about them, nobody will. And the main reason for that is because I take unsolicited submissions, and the vast majority of outlets only write about artists who have a publicist who solicits outlets for coverage.
I take that role of covering artists and topics nobody else does very seriously. I take a big hit in traffic by covering artists nobody has heard of. But someone has to cover these artists. Someone has to give them their first chance. And whether it’s Sturgill Simpson, Sarah Shook, Cody Jinks, or others that I was the first to write about, when their careers blow up, I can look back with a sense of satisfaction, while readers remember that, and come here to dig for the next diamond in the rough.
I totally get you want more diversity in the ratings. And I hear your concern. But again, I really feel like this rating is fair, I feel like you have to factor in that he’s from Australia and understand the uniqueness that brings to his music, and that his album lands somewhere in the top 3/4 range of overall releases in the country music realm, justifying the score he received.
Again, I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you continue to read, and whatever frequency you find value in.
November 3, 2020 @ 2:46 pm
No one’s forcing you to listen to it. I think it’s cool that he’s putting all this obscure Australian stuff on everyone’s radar.
November 4, 2020 @ 2:09 am
Kyle hates white people bro.
November 3, 2020 @ 3:01 pm
Sure enough it ain’t Texas, but it’s closer to Texas than mainstream. The effect they put on the singer’s voice plus his accent make the vocals sound a bit robotic. It was nice hearing some fiddles and a country piano in a new song.
November 3, 2020 @ 4:24 pm
I like what I heard- a lot- the voice needs to mature, but that’s a natural occurring
November 3, 2020 @ 7:04 pm
Please Take Me Back In Time is pretty damn good.
The only song song you can really hear the accent is Forever Close but not enough to make it off putting.
November 4, 2020 @ 2:08 am
Remember folks, Kyle hates white people. Even on other continents. His bigotry is well documented.
November 4, 2020 @ 2:52 am
I can see the reason for the 1.75 rating; these guys give it a great effort.
That said, when I hear the “g” pronounced in a country song — i.e., “danCING” and “tryING” instead of “dancin'” and “tryin'” in the first song — it gives me pause. They’re Australian so I cut them some slack, but still.
November 4, 2020 @ 11:39 am
Heyday you can listen to my stuff. Country music in roman accent italian.
Talkin’ about the universal appeal of country music.
https://youtu.be/8qx-fQI54aw?list=OLAK5uy_mFt4x3djr_KlZ74Z3W-6LPscQLnYHv9VU
November 4, 2020 @ 6:03 pm
Hey I listened to a couple songs! Good vocals and the steel is up front and center…although I don’t have a clue what you’re singin’ about! Keep it up!
November 4, 2020 @ 11:39 pm
Same here. Couldn’t understand a word but what does come through is the *attitude* and maybe that’s what I find lacking in the band in the article. Granted, I can’t really go from a handful of songs.
Are pedal steel players easy to find in Italy?
November 5, 2020 @ 5:40 am
HEY! Thak you guys!!
No they ain’t easy to find at all! Only few of them around here, by the way Flavio Pasquetto plays the steel in my band and he’s been recently hired to play with no less than Asleep at the Wheel!
November 4, 2020 @ 3:29 am
I’ve listened to James for years, he’s a great dude and his band was also Leo Rondeaus backing band while he toured here last year, well deserved rating, and a stellar album, same as his last album, can’t beat it. Not even with a darn stick!