JOHN JENNINGS "I Belong to You" Vanguard
By Mike Joyce
Friday, December 4, 1998; Page N21
Being Mary Chapin Carpenter's guitarist and producer has its perks. So it isn't surprising to find that John Jennings has recruited her for a couple of vocal cameos on his second solo album, "I Belong to You." Yet as he proved on his impressive 1997 debut, "Buddy," Jennings doesn't need to rely on the kindness of friends to create an album that packs an emotional punch.
This time around Jennings has pared things down to the essentials, using a series of simple melodies and sparse arrangements to examine the comings and goings of love, as well as those moments when things aren't so clearly defined. For example, Carpenter lends her voice to the album's title cut, a song about a person who can't let go of a one-sided relationship. A glutton for heartache, he's willing to suffer the pride-shattering consequences of unrequited love, confessing "I look good in black and blue."
On "Who Am I Tonight," while singing over a simple guitar picking pattern, Jennings quietly examines the threads of another unraveling relationship. More so than any other ballad on the album, it swiftly reveals Jennings's craft as a lyricist, one who's drawn to emotionally honest and complex themes. The opening verse is one of his best: "I remember us on gods own tear/ Hanging every moon that we could find/ They are lying in the gutter now/ Something new has settled in your mind/ Now you close your eyes and turn away/ To drift off to some much better place/ If I should disturb you in your sleep/ Think of me with someone else's face."
As gloomy as these vignettes are, "I Belong to You" has plenty of bright moments too, thanks to Jennings's colorful guitar work, clever lyrics and a band that includes keyboardist Jon Carroll and drummers Dave Mattacks and Robbie Magruder. In the end, though, it's the sad tunes, the soulful ruminations, that demand repeat listenings.
Appearing Sunday at the Birchmere.
To hear a free Sound Bite from John Jennings, call Post-Haste at
202/334-9000 and press . (Prince William residents, call 690-4110.)
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