Jim Lord
Taking his cue from songwriters like Leonard Cohen and British folk music greats, Bert Jansch and Ralph McTell, singer and songwriter Jim Lord effortlessly mingles vintage sonic storytelling with his unique melodies in the hum-along “Little Star” via Blue Vinyl Records. “Little Star” quietly grabs the listener from the word twinkle.
After listening to the song a few times, I interpreted this song to be about a child in Lord’s life, only the child is grown up and moved away. He’s reminiscing about the times when life seemed simpler, the smallest things were important and beautiful. Maybe it’s his take on “Cats In The Cradle” (Harry Chapin). Lord’s voice is rich. Stunning. He’s not pristine sounding though – a little bit of gravel gurgles at the bottom of his throat. The music bed is presumably him playing acoustic guitar, but I’m not certain, I think he mixed in a murky, bluesy, jazzy electric guitar into the mix. I can’t be certain. There is a nice background layering and texturing happening.
Starting out like the children’s song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” the lively music bed carries the torch for an instant rapport.
I did honestly think he was going to just sing that song but, by the fourth line or so, you figure out it’s an original tune. I remember sitting by the sea, holding hands, just you and me, Lord sings. He sings with spirituality and kindness. One night I gazed up at the sky, a lonely sparkle caught my eye, Lord sings, with what I perceived as the electric guitar blinking its way about every fourth note or so. The days go by and nights are long, my only comfort is this song, Lord sings, a slight tinge of sadness flowing forth. The dip in the guitar string about this same time drops like a forlorn bass sound. Keeping time on this song is easy – Lord gives the listener a smooth way to toe-tap along with his words and cadence. It’s a slow dance, but a dance, nonetheless. Perhaps, too, it’s a chance for the mind to dance its way across past memories like flipping through a photo album. Lord’s song opens the door and leads the way for fine reflection.
I did honestly think he was going to just sing that song but, by the fourth line or so, you figure out it’s an original tune. I remember sitting by the sea, holding hands, just you and me, Lord sings. He sings with spirituality and kindness. One night I gazed up at the sky, a lonely sparkle caught my eye, Lord sings, with what I perceived as the electric guitar blinking its way about every fourth note or so. The days go by and nights are long, my only comfort is this song, Lord sings, a slight tinge of sadness flowing forth. The dip in the guitar string about this same time drops like a forlorn bass sound. Keeping time on this song is easy – Lord gives the listener a smooth way to toe-tap along with his words and cadence. It’s a slow dance, but a dance, nonetheless. Perhaps, too, it’s a chance for the mind to dance its way across past memories like flipping through a photo album. Lord’s song opens the door and leads the way for fine reflection.
Up above the world so high, I sang to myself long after the song had ended. While he doesn’t use that line, Lord’s arrangement and mood is similar to the original. I like what he does in this song – “Little Star” is a great introduction to an artist like Lord. I found myself swept away by his accessible voice. During certain times of the day, I wanted to bottle up his voice and listen to it during those moments of uncertainty. “Little Star” can make even the most pessimistic music snobs smile and its mostly due to Lord’s charming voice. Rise above the naysayers, reach out and find a song like this to brighten your mood. Jim Lord’s “Little Star” is a top notch, top produced beaming piece of light.
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Trace Whittaker
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
7/2020
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