As far back as a decade, predating his recorded debut with
the Indications,
Durand Jones was gathering ideas developed in full for this, his first solo LP. The experiences that informed
Wait Til I Get Over cover a greater length of time, reflecting upon
Jones' upbringing and development, his grandmother's guidance, the sounds and words he soaked up in church, the complexities of his religious faith, romantic flings and elusive companionship alike -- ultimately the process of figuring out "this thing called life." A poetic spoken interlude illustrates the setting in a small rural community established by former slaves, Hillaryville, Louisiana, an environment that both nurtured and prevented
Jones from being his whole self. What surrounds that track shatters any lingering perception of the singer as a mere everyman stylist. Although
Jones can still fill that role as effectively as any of his peers -- as he does here on a galvanized update of
Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" -- the personalized conviction with which he writes and sings throughout this album is riveting. The most revelatory song is "That Feeling." Intoxicated and aflutter,
Jones leads with "Boy, you see right through these bloodshot eyes and this grin on my face," and what starts as a tender love ballad builds into a cathartic belter with waves of charging guitar and strings. The more traditionally rendered "Sadie," an upbeat twist on "Dark End of the Street"-like storytelling, recounts with some embellishment an affair
Jones had with a married woman. "Gerri Marie," another song of heartache, finds
Jones at the piano, joined by only a string quartet, regretting separation by geography. Produced by
Jones with
Ben Lumsdaine and
Drake Ritter, the album is a composite of live takes and intensive sonic processing and goes in a number of creative directions. In "I Want You," a staggering gait and
Jones' slightly winded performance create almost as much as the lyrics a sense of inexhaustible dedication -- a steep march upstairs. "Wait Til I Get Over" is a stomping, dreamlike hymn with a multi-tracked
Jones performing as a one-person gospel choir.
Jones and a full band lineup (including
Indications guitarist
Kyle Houpt) kick up a squall on "Lord Have Mercy," more raucous than anything the singer has cut before. The quietest moment is reserved for the end with "Secrets," where words of assurance and support ("Don't let them take your humanity") fade out to the sound of a moving body of water, presumably the Mississippi River. Seemingly posed as a promise and a threat,
Wait Til I Get Over is a striking and poignant deviation. ~ Andy Kellman
![Between The Buttons [US]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0018771212010_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Between The Buttons [US]")
![For Your Pleasure [Half-Speed Mastered]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602507460228_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "For Your Pleasure [Half-Speed Mastered]")
