The Bones of J.R. Jones: Spirit’s Furnace

The Bones of J.R. Jones
Spirit’s Furnace
(Tone Tree)
3 1/2 out of 5 stars

One man band Jonathon Linaberry breaks down—or rather bulks up—on his sophomore album and adds a drummer to about half the tracks on this short nine song disc. While that helps boost the attack, Linaberry—who goes by the more colorful alias of The Bones of J.R. Jones—stays true to his dusky anti-folk/blues roots.

Existing fans need not worry that he’s selling out and going commercial though since his traditional, no frills approach remains stripped down and raw. The ex-punk rocker’s dedication to early folk and blues men remains, especially in his haunting, often higher pitched vocals, similar at times to those of John Mayall. All the material is original, but most of these songs sound like covers of obscure pre-war sides, a high compliment indeed. And when Linaberry strips the sound back to just his haunting banjo on “Bless Your Soul,” you’ll have to look twice to see if you unknowingly pushed play on an old Folkways album.

Tracks like “Dry Dirt” ensconce themselves in the soil of the chilling prison chain gang chants deep in Americana folklore, but have enough contemporary production to make them sound fresh and edgy. Linaberry turns up the temperature on “The Heat,” whipping off a sturdy blues rocker that wouldn’t seem out of place on a ZZ Top release, complete with thumping drums and even female backing singers. It’s the most driving track, but the singer/songwriter feels more authentic when the attack is reined in, as on the following “Hammers and Nails” and the rest of the disc.

There is also a strong undercurrent of gospel that courses under the surface of tunes as in the opening “13 Kinds” that adds extra tension and release to music that already thrives on that balance. The only complaint is that with just nine tracks and eight songs (one is repeated as a closing “stripped” version) that yield 31 minutes of playing time, Linaberry is a little stingy on content, especially considering he had two years to work out material. 

But what’s here is consistently engaging and a sure footed path forward for a dedicated roots inspired blues/folk artist looking to keep the music fresh and contemporary without selling out.

Mission accomplished.