To hear Seattle musician Ian Jones describe his childhood, he and his siblings were raised by a single mom, they were “bread-and-cheese-line poor” and his babysitter was a record player. And if Results Not Typical, his debut LP, is any indication, he had a hell of a record collection.
Across 11 tracks, you can hear the shadows of everyone from Tom Petty and Gram Parsons to Willie Nelson and J.D. Southern, among many others. Musically and lyrically, the songs grab you instantly for an impactful listen on this near flawless debut. There is not a single song here that is likely to be skipped.
The record starts off on the mellow, piano backed “Rollin,” an autobiographical travelogue of Jones leaving his native Seattle for California, filled with uncertainty. The song slides perfectly into the melancholy “You Can’t,” a powerful song about regret. “Goodbyes Are the Hardest Words,” similar to the opening track, hits on the same emptions about leaving home serving as a perfect book end to this set. “Lost Highway,” is a tight, infectiously fun song slathered in funk and R&B punctuated by horns and a church organ, while “Have Mercy,” is an impressive update on the classic country waltz.
Following up his 2021 debut solo EP, Evergreens, Jones connected with an old friend and musician/composer Jesse Siebenberg (of Lucas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Supertramp) to produce Results Not Typical. He also brought in some remarkable players to fill out his studio band including drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, REM, Paul McCartney, Norah Jones); bassists Jonathan Flaugher (Ryan Adams) and Gabe Noel (Afghan Whigs, Father John Misty); guitarist Jason Soda (Miranda Lee Richards); violinist Paul Cartwright (Father John Misty); and pianists Dave Palmer (Fiona Apple, Chris Isaak, T-Bone Burnett) and Aaron Embry (Elliott Smith, Jane’s Addiction).
“I didn’t want to be laying on my deathbed saying, ‘what if I’d made a record with a great producer and the best musicians in the world’,” Jones says. “Now I can check that off my list.”
The result is one of the most impressive Americana debut LPs released so far this year. Jones has pulled off a record brimming with songs future fans will be coming back to for years. In the process, he set the bar pretty high for his follow up.
