A man of many talents, Jerry Hull has just put the final bit of polish on his fifth album to date, an impressive achievement that runs alongside a staggering collection of thirty singles and eleven videos since April of 2015. It’s a mean feat for Jerry, an American talent now based in the heart of the UK.
His music rallies from vintage Americana to classic country and vivid pop, combining the wholesome sounds of everything that put New Orleans on the map with a modern spin. Musically and vocally, Jerry’s style has been compared to that of Elton John, Billy Joel, and Burt Bacharach, but ever since his sophomore album ‘Shadows Of The Sun’ dropped in 2015, Jerry’s work has moved towards a unique brand of anthemics, emerging as a defining musical act that encapsulates his own character and sounds.
On ‘Celebrate In the Sun’, the transformation of Jerry’s sound from enthusiastic ballad man to deft musical force is complete, bringing together the likes of heavy 60’s grooves in ‘Dark Moments Which Life Often Brings’, heartfelt ballads in the form of ‘The Playground’ and ‘Wished I Were Younger’, and even the odd eclectic moment that springs up in Halloween anthem ‘The Witching Hour’, and even a song inspired by Jerry’s own cat.
It’s an album that doesn’t hold firm to one style, instead, stretching the boundaries of cohesion with a multitude of styles and subjects, and yet somehow making it all work. It’s fresh, vibrant, and unmistakably Jerry, going against his more narrative-based releases and instead, throwing itself at the mercy of his evolving music whims. It’s an inspired piece and one that will relentlessly please fans both old and new.
Score: 8/10