Zaine Lee Jackson, who plays guitar in both Etiquette and Brusher, released an incredible album of acoustic, poetic goodness that soothes the soul of anyone who listens. Poetry has been something that I have recently started to appreciate the older I’ve gotten. I started with collections of poems from Palestinians and other authors from the Middle East and have started to cast my net out wider. My love for the format has only grown as I’ve explored what Heartworm Press has been publishing recently. So, when Jackson dropped this album a few weeks ago, I was intrigued but also, very interested to read the lyrics and understand where these words were coming from.
I’ve spent some time with “Poems and Pieces” at this point. The album is a beautiful body of work, with strong arrangements and lyrics. The poems are set to acoustic guitar (sometimes paired with electric textures) and the occasional harmonica. The words are loaded with strongly emotional (Applebees) and sometimes difficult stories to tell (Thin Little Line & Under The Rug). Other highlights from the record that I loved were Pavlov and Waltz Interlude, the only instrumental track on the album but its lovely and so well done. I can’t recommend this album enough.
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