The Jayhawks – Sanctuary Park

The Jayhawks have been around for forty years, which is a reason for celebration. The band itself is handing out a present by releasing their first new record in six years. The recently released “Sanctuary Park” is full of wonderful melodies and is particularly pleasant to listen to. Actually, just like virtually every previous album by the American group.

The group musically blends Americana, country, pop and a touch of soul into a pleasant sound. They still have that sound on “Sanctuary Park”, the band’s twelfth album. For this record, they have once again joined forces with legendary producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with names such as Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper during his career. Ezrin is a fan of the band himself, so when they were looking for a producer, the choice was quickly made. This album was recorded in Toronto, Ezrin’s home city.

Right from the first notes of opener “Keeping Our Heads Above Water”, you are already happily swaying along to the simple yet catchy ‘o, o, o’ sung intro, which returns in the choruses. You soon catch yourself singing along. “Hands Upon The Wheel” also begins with vocals. The chorus is delivered in harmony in such a way that you immediately have all your attention focused on the song. One of The Jayhawks’ great strengths, their harmonies, is presented here as a textbook example. One of the strongest songs on the new record.

“Mr. Lincoln” is reminiscent of Grateful Dead records from the early seventies. “Leap Of Faith”, on the other hand, moves more towards folk with a cheerful tune, once again one that quickly makes you inclined to join The Jayhawks vocally, despite your singing skills being a lot more limited. “Always and a Day” is a little faster and moves more towards power pop. In short, this album is anything but one-dimensional. The album closes beautifully with the small “Rowing The Boat”.

Should there be readers who may have somewhat lost sight of The Jayhawks and are wondering whether the band is still releasing anything enjoyable after forty years, I can recommend listening to “Sanctuary Park” without any doubt. For those who have continued to follow the band all this time, you know what you can expect, or rather, what you may expect. Without any effort, The Jayhawks keep their heads above water. (9/10) (Thirty Tigers)