Reviewed By
Dead Calm
Austin Leonard Jones
2022
Lord Almighty, you can’t take the country out of this boy (not that he himself hasn’t tried). New Zealand-born, Texas-bred and California-beckoned Austin Leonard Jones has moseyed his way through all shades of lo-fi music, pop and otherwise, but on his latest album — Dead Calm (Perpetual Doom) — he fully commits to authentic jukebox honky-tonk. The son of Tommy Lee Jones (and a fine actor in his own right), Austin has never let celeb status get in the way of his musical wanderlust and indie spirit.
With woebegone vocals up-front, Flying Burrito Brothers-esque backing, high lonesome pedal steel hovering above, and the occasional bright spots of sonic color (fuzzy baritone licks in “Night Parrots,” Marty Robbins border guitar of “Demon Sands”), Jones and producer Jesse Woods have crafted a classic western movie of an album. Taut lyrics sketch out the songwriting protagonist as uncertain leader, puzzled outsider, and, ultimately, a pure artist confronting middle age on his own terms. Captured in old-style tape warmth and with Panavision storytelling setting the mood, Dead Calm is your new favorite summer blockbuster.
