Middle Tennessee singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and stageman John Salaway emerges this year with another addition to his catalogue, blending pop, folk, country and Americana on his latest full-length project, Salvation, released on his own Music First Entertainment. Salaway’s growing, optimistically filtered original repertoire and his persistence, along with his “hey, anytime” stage presence, will sway his local reputation from emerging area Americana producer and artist to area Americana icon. Time will tell. In the meantime, Salvation sounds as if Salaway wants a warm companion.
Stacked with highly regarded industry friends, Salvation’s opener, “One More Round,” features former Cage the Elephant guitarist and Nashville producer Lincoln Parish and Rami Jaffe, keyboardist for the Foo Fighters and The Wallflowers. Salaway and company run with a punchy, low-register, piano-tonk timbre, reminding a listener of Badly Drawn Boy. This album opener sets up Parish’s feelgood rhythmic structure, ready for Jaffe’s appropriate accents played on many varieties of keyboards. Salaway lyrically taps into a love life analogized by the boxing ring, warning he’s not going down—yet—when it comes to love. It’s even spiced up by white-boy rapping evocative of Canadian rapper Snow as Salaway double-time-spits long-winded lines, gettin’ in them love sentiments, touts, warnings and punches just before the bell. The song’s composition plays out like a gritty underdog’s boxing match, too.
Salaway throws in some brass to the Chili Peppers-esque “Breaking the Girl” feel on the opening track, also introducing prominent backup vocals that become a staple on Salvation. “One More Round” creates an immediate wall of peppy, tightly produced and expertly mixed pop-rock-folk-country sound, emoting that love is worth all the trouble that comes with it. Let’s go one more round.
Lyrically, though I hate to say it, that’s pretty much the theme of Salvation; various sentimental vantage points in love’s arena.
The music sounds tailored to whomever is guesting on each track and the original compositions are perfectly fine. “Fight or Flight” is the best song on Salvation and “Young Love” is commendably right behind it.
“Weather the Storm” serves as a slow, bluesy country dinger—piano, lap guitar, the ladies’ backing harmonies and all—enabling upbeat Salaway optimism in spite of the bluesy vibe, featuring local shredder Joey Fletcher as well as P-Funk and Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Peter Keys.
A Saturday-night big-band number doo-wops a high-register eighth-note piano figure as Salaway homes in on his inner Elvis Costello in “Tied to You.” Saxophonist Nate Heffron sat in on that one. Engineered for a big stage performance, Salaway’s bluesy looseness in “Tied to You” carries on the lovelorn nature of the album. It’s also a holla-back at an old friend. We’ve all been there.
There’s a slight light at the end of the lonely tunnel in “Letting Go Is the Hardest Part,” which seemingly stands as the topical closure to the tune of a Beatles’ melancholy pop ballad, but afterwards the record jumps right back into “Bring It Over,” a Spin Doctors-esque popper.
Salvation ends with “Goddess,” a Jeff Tweedy and Billy Bragg locomotion of a closing jam perfect for a sunset show’s last song, the ideal setting for Salaway exclaiming I’ll treat you like a goddess as he rides into that sunset after the curtains close.
John Salaway’s Salvation can be found on Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud and other online outlets, as well as at johnsalaway.com. Salawaywards can find contact and touring information there, and on Facebook, such as recurring City Winery concert dates, the next being Nov. 28 and Dec. 19.
