The Chief Mourner album by Jon Ransom is so raw and pure it’s unbelievable! The soulful sounds that Jon makes reveal a personality that is so pure and dedicated to the creative process. The song Crooked Wing is my favorite, but in the few weeks that I’ve owned this album, I’ve found myself waking in the morning, humming and singing, the catchy Alchemist tune to myself. On listening to the entire album I can tell Jon has poured a lot of his personal demeanor into the music. He’s created something very personal and touching. But yet done it in such a way that anyone can relate. Such as in the song Stagefright, he’s captured a feeling all of us have experienced at one point in our lives. But it’s not just Jon on this album, it present a cornucopia of Portland Musicians, whose contribution exhibit a feeling that they are all dedicated to the music. The album presents a cornucopia of Portland Musicians. While the album is called the Chief Mourner, allaying the possibility of something, or someone, dying, upon listening to the whole album, I believe something in life is being exhumed from deep inside and celebrated. This album is worth a listen or two and the art work is phenomenal. It’s very Portlandia!
The images with this post are from Jon Ransom’s Album Release party, which took place at the Alberta Street Pub in February of this year. The show featured contributions from the band Small Souls, and duo Towns and Villages. The first image features Jon playing with Barry Brusseau and the third image shows the sultry Ezza Rose doing backup singing on the song “Till the Night Fades Away.” Both very noted and accomplished Portland musicians in their own right.
Hope you like the images, be sure to visit Jon’s Bandcamp or CD Baby page, by clicking on the links, to sample the music and perhaps buy a digital file or two. Please share this post with your friends also.
Peace
~V
Emerald Studio Photography 