EARTHMOTHEREARTH

Earth Mother Earth is one of my favorite albums from Jon, and it shows a very different side of him than some of his other work, like Olias for example. The album is completely stripped down and simple, and one can almost imagine Jon waking up to greet the new day, grabbing some coffee, and sitting down to record a few tracks. The mood is informal and features guests like his wife reading verses to the Earth and singing on a track or two. Other appearances from Scraggle Cat and (presumably) Jon's children laughing create an air of peacefulness.

Noticeably, some tracks like Take a Little Time Out have strong Cat Stevens influences, while others, like the three Harptree songs are slow guitar passages over ambient nature sounds. The track That Crazy Wind is a good example of the lyrical structure on the album- innocent, cheesy, and beautiful. This album is guaranteed to make the most cynical listener smile, even if the Earth-appreciation poetry is off-putting. This is the type of album whose strength isn't in complex composition or developed storyline. It's power comes from the peace it radiates and communicates so successfully.

Rating: 7/10