Jeremy Parsons: “Things I Need To Say” – quotable lines and indelible musical touches
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Jeremy Parsons grew up soaking in the sounds of Texas music in the dancehalls of the Lone Star State. Jeremy was always a fan of music, but it wasn’t until his later high school years that he discovered his knack for it. Driven by his passion, he taught himself to play the guitar and began to write and perform music. Over the past decade, Jeremy has played all over the U.S. and in Europe, including numerous venues in Texas His current single, “Burn This House Down,” taken from the album, “Things I Need To Say” made the IndieWorld Country Top 40. The song’s supporting video was nominated for a Monkey Bread Tree Film Festival award, an IMDB-sanctioned film festival.
Using the sensibilities of yesterday’s artists with the techniques of today’s production values and a reverence for great writing, Jeremy Parsons slips into a spot between the storytelling legends and the current innovators of Country and Americana music.
At times he seems too country for modern country, as on “Why Is The Bluebird Blue” for example, which makes him all the more remarkable. While Parsons’ ‘something old, something’ perspective makes him instantly distinctive among a fleet of Country clones, it’s not just the authenticity of his relatable tales that makes his work superior to so many of his contemporaries. Instead, it’s his exemplary song craft.
The man can turn one hell of a phrase and spin a remarkable narrative; Case in point, “Why Is The Bluebird Blue”. His songs have the kind of genuine insight that’s increasingly rare in today’s mainstream country. On “Burn This House Down”, he treats Country’s tropes of nostalgia, loss and longing, in more subversive and edgy ways.
You realize that the idea of a homespun artist like Jeremy Parsons eclipsing any number of corporate country megastars is not far-fetched, once you hit play on the album’s opener, “Makin’ Things Up as I Go”, and sink into its fiddle dominated soundscape.
But even when he remains firmly in his comfort zone, drawing on his quieter, sensitive side, Parsons’ continues to excel. “Life” is sweet-sounding, warm country-pop that expertly showcases two of his primary cornerstones: distinctive choruses that play up his instantly compelling voice, and lyrics that revel in minute detail, rendering his settings and characters with exquisite clarity.
“Hope” could easily be the album’s signature track, not because it is its best, but because the first time you hear it, it hits you in the gut, hard. And if you listen to it again, you’ll understand it in a way you couldn’t before. It does not matter if you like country or not. If you can listen to this without feeling something, you might not be alive.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes “Things I Need To Say” so good, as there are so many elements that raise the bar here. Though the main attraction has to be Parsons’ lyrics and vocals. And oh, are they captivating. His lyrics are pure poetry. Steeped in regret and desire, they are simultaneously personal and universal.
And the stories he tells are extremely powerful, especially on “Lisa’s Lost”, “After All These Years”, and “Things I Need To Say”. Of course if he wants to, Jeremy Parsons can rock out with the best of them, as he does on “Purpose”. The album is simply transcendent. It is an easy listen, and extremely rewarding. Every song is packed with powerful, quotable lines and indelible musical touches that become engraved in your mind for days.
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