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There’s that old adage, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to,” and then there’s Joshua Hedley. The buzz country singer’s major label debut Mr. Jukebox (on Jack White’s Third Man Records, no less) feels like stepping back in time to an era of rhinestone suits and waltzes, but without all the dust. Hedley’s classic songwriting and performance style pays homage to the timelessness of truly great country music. Hedley’s rich, booming voice and masterful fiddle playing have been a fixture for some time at Nashville’s renowned Robert’s Western World, so Mr. Jukebox feels like a long time coming.
At a recent show at Brooklyn’s Union Pool, Hedley blew the room away with his clear, full-bodied vocals that cut clean through the gorgeous layered arrangements of steel guitar and keys. He shifts between his guitar and his fiddle with such ease you almost don’t even notice until a waltz starts up. He’s a natural performer with a warm stage presence, like an old friend crooning a tune for you.
The songs on Mr. Jukebox are straightforward, top-notch storytelling. They’ll make you laugh, cry and swoon the way good country songs should, and they pair perfectly with an ice cold beer. It’s honkytonk, but never overly showy or inauthentic. “Let’s Take a Vacation” finds Hedley luring a lover to some sweet R & R, complete with sand in the bed and a nod to his home state of Florida. “As long as we’re together/I don’t care what town we’re in/Let’s take a vacation/And fall in love again,” he sings, slow and steady before launching into a spoken word section that’s so genuine and beautiful. It’s a throwback, but it’s convincing enough that we give ourselves over to it, no questions asked.
The album’s title track may be its most clever, with the narration perspective being that of the actual jukebox. “Feed me nickels/Feed me dimes/I’ll play your favorite song/Just one more time/I’m right here in the corner/Any time you’re feeling blue/If you’ve got a new romance/Well I’ve got the perfect dance/If you need me I’ll be here/I’m Mr. Jukebox,” he sings, embodying the old reliable fixture and somehow humanizing it. It’s sweet, but not hokey, and Eddie Lange’s steel guitar adds a whimsical, emotional tilt.
Hedley’s voice is so honest to goodness smooth, he could likely knock out a show tune better than the best. In a song like “Weird Thought Thinker” he manages such an effortless and elegant control over it, and on “Don’t Waste Your Tears” he enters a deeper register and floors us with its sheer power. He’s a class act with a clear vision and Mr. Jukebox captures that so well.
