American Tune

Flyinshoes Review, 25 - 01 - 2011
American Tune, JP Den Tex – Comme Les Chansons 217209

The songs on American Tune are, perhaps, fictionalised autobiography. Maybe they're actual autobiography, I don't know, but it's a good set up for a song collection. The protagonist takes a road trip across America, from east to west, seeking to illuminate his European perception of The American Dream. In the process he's forced to come to terms with his own restlessness and with his, if you like, European Dream of the possibilities of The American Dream. It's intriguing stuff and, with these ideas being woven into music that is country tinged rock - a range of sound that goes from Kris Kristofferson to Dire Straits with plenty of side trails, there's plenty of mingled strands of cultural experience for us to muse on. What is very noticeable is that the fellow sure knows how to put a song together. There are some really good ones here, the pick of them probably being "Love So Helpless" which is a peach of a tune and the one that put me very much in mind of Kris Kristofferson. There's a few other songs nearly as strong and even the lesser lights have their charms. Recorded in Holland with a bunch of Dutch musicians the playing is assured but with a nicely loose feel, very easy on the ear and not at all afflicted with the disease of trying too hard to sound authentically American. The album closes with a rather nice cover of "We'll Sweep Out The Ashes"; at first pass it sounds a bit like karaoke but I've come to really like it; Kees Maat's accordion playing gives the arrangement a bit of a zydeco feel - I think you'd be hard pushed not to smile happily at it. It's the Dutch enthusiasm for all our favourite American singer/songwriters that helps finance their visits to our shores; I reckon it's only fair that we cock an ear to what Dutch musicians have to offer and I think JP might leave you pleasantly surprised.

John Davy, Flyinshoes Review/No Depression Pages

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