Goddamn I'm a Countryman Rec. Jens : If You've seen me lately, please tell me where I've been (S,2006)***°
When a hippie-in-heart realizes he likes his country area but also wants to be a man of the world, expressive in the whole wild world, some years later he helped to establish the "Goddamn I’m a Countryman" Records, with some memory and cynicism to the name. Looking with respect to his roots and to his father, there’s a grief noticeable and a hard-to-explain-yourself-situation to an already very different generation and mentality. While the hippie learned himself to be open to the world and find communicative expressions leading to philosophical and creative thoughts, that can also change things for the benefit, for the 'countryman' himself the land was enough : he was busy his whole life taking care of all variations of maintenance, expecting to see preferably the good things happening, not knowing what to do when things ever becomes different.
Jen’s voice often shows a deep bass of grief when looking back and while going to the spirit-reality of things. I’m not sure if he expects communicating answers in return. The acoustic guitar spins, the electric guitar feels with him, the hand percussion puts the steps forward into it’s recognitions, while some flute and a bit of cello and harp creates more mood and atmosphere, and even lifts up the reality, with the help of a second female vocalist who adds harmonies and comfort with her voice. Touches of saz, organ and sitar make the expressions a more complete world, an expression of a real world that is liveable, has some beauty and above all knows the love, more than for things that can be maintained easily in its most recognisable form.
The freedom of the new generations might be hard to understand for the disciplined smaller world of expressions of some of the forefathers, but on the other hand we must also understand they were also partly lucky to find more easily peace in several simple things, as things that also were not as much open so much to change all the time.
A deep personal document (sung in English) in a rather folkpsych flavoured style.
