Mississippi Jones is back from their genre-bending release, Recourse: Elemental I, which was the first EP of a 4-part series. Here the duo presents us with the 4-track Recourse: Elemental II. Every time I review Mississippi Jones it is like discovering a new band. This girl and a boy twist and turn their musical style onto its head, on each and every release. I really can’t work out if they’re retro or futuristic. Maybe his from the past and she’s from the future…either way, they rock…oops sorry, they groove…or whatever it is that they do this time around!
I’m certainly not complaining. I’m just happy that Mississippi Jones has the balls to constantly experiment and bring something new to the table, time and time again. When the first bars of “Bring It Up” hits the deck, you’ll think you’re grooving to the Brand New Heavies who got mashed up with a 70s disco group, as Mississippi Jones lay down a funky and heavy retroactive bass line under some distinctive synth strings.
Fuse the melody-line of the chorus from the Bee Gees song, “To Love Somebody” and that of “You Don’t Know What Love is” by the White Stripes, now slow the tempo right down to a soulful, almost heartrending ballad by Janis Joplin, and you have the second track from this Ep, “You Don’t Know What Love Is”.
On hearing this track I had a mental block and could not for the life of me work out if this song was a cover or an original…or even a hybrid of both. On closing this review, I still don’t know how or why this track is…but it is! Bottom line: It really accentuates the great vocals that Mississippi Jones delivers. Period!
There is a quality about the presentation of the music on this Ep, where, especially around the time the soul-pop of “New Again” sets in, the listener can just sense that crucial moment when everything about where the grooves are going are about to come to a head, and into something very beautiful and elegant as well. And it does!
Generally speaking, the Mississippi Jones releases I’ve heard in the past have always had a strong rhythmic ethic to them, regardless of the genre. The spirit of Recourse: Elemental II is very much full-on in the school of rhythmically and melodically dynamic music. And the duo literally does such a bang-up job on this, that by the time you hit the swinging-pop of “Alone”, you’ll be singing and humming along…and shaking your booty too!
The music on this Ep is hypnotic at times, soothing at others, but mostly head bopping beats and tunes that grow into pulsating heartbeats. It is truly uplifting music therapy. Everyone who hears Mississippi Jones, will love them. And each time they release a new single, Ep or album, it’s like discovering a new band. Their style changes, their sound evolves, but the quality, warmth and integrity they bring to each recording remains constant!
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