Karen Jonas
Butter
Fredericksburg • June 1, 2018
On Karen Jonas’ third album, she nimbly transposes her simultaneous experiences as both musician and mother of four into a smooth collection of her trademark country songs. The dual role must absolutely be a challenge, but Jonas is such a natural that the output comes off seemingly effortlessly. The tracks draw from a number of genres and reference a litany of twentieth century notable personalities. The title track drips with jazzy horns as she decadently describes a mama who “looks like Grace Kelly” and “tastes like Betty Crocker.”
Guitarist Tim Bray dazzles as usual, soloing and shredding his way across the verdant plain, most notably on “Gospel of the Road.” The tongue-in-cheek “Mama’s First Rodeo” features an entrancing slide guitar as Jonas calls bullshit to an unseen spinner of lies while playfully toying with her own half truths, “It’s just like Abraham Lincoln said, ‘I pity the fool.’” The final track “Circus” is an encapsulation of the album’s overall theme: What is life like when you you have one foot in showbiz and the other in a domestic household? If these ten songs are any indication, Jonas is an acrobatic master worthy of the center ring.