Tim Jones – Sure Got Late Real Early  
Oakwilde Records
https://www.facebook.com/timleejonesmusic

Rating: B

Tim Jones is best known as one of the singer/songwriters for the band Truth & Salvage CO.  While the band is on break, his creative juices were still flowing... so he wrote his debut solo album, titled Sure Got Late Real Early.  The songs were cranked out a rapid pace as Jones was overtaken by a burst of creativity.

Okay, we gotta stop here…. truth be told, that’s not what happened at all.  Jones actually wrote and recorded the album nearly a decade ago in The City of Angels.  The original album had a couple of tunes pirated by Truth & Salvage Co. including “Heart Like a Wheel” and “Old Piano,” the latter a tune in which the eye-candy pop tart Katy Perry actually assisted in writing! 

Jones debut is a folkie affair, and one can hear the sounds of the ‘70s California West Coast mellow rock as an influence.  There are nods to early Eagles and Jackson Browne all over the place.  Tim has a bit more cynicism at times, making one reminisce about the late, great Warren Zevon, though the soft-rock feel makes the earlier comparisons more applicable. 

Tim shares why the album took so damn long to be released, “"I definitely labored over it mentally and physically. It's gut-level tunes about letting the past go."

At the end of the day this album would have been a huge hit if Tim could jump in a Delorean with Marty McFly and a crazy scientist and travel back to 1973.  While that is not possible, it is refreshing to hear honest music made with sincerity.  The art of the singer/songwriter is still alive and well in 2015, it’s just harder to find. 

This one will go well on a drive in the country on a rainy day with your best girl by your side. 

Track Listing:
24 Hours
Absolutely
Damn You
Fast Slow
Gimme Back My Belief
Heart Like A Wheel
Lord I Really Need You Now
Old Piano
Special
Too Far Behind
What Am I Going To Do
www.truthandsalvageco.com

By Jeb Wright