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Previously on his last album, "Antenna" Jay-Jay went full-on electropop but with "Rush" he's tempered it to have a more mature and nocturnal feel. This is not say that this album is a snooze-fest. The next track "The Last of the Boys to Know" is possibly one of his best. There is something very palpable about the words to me. A song of growing up and the awful truths which are revealed as we age. The emotion seeps out of one's speakers, becoming a commanding presence in the room. The thing about Johanson is that he isn't afraid to let his true feelings show, cutting through the commonly practiced approach of stagecraft, which unfortunately with a lot of other artists comes out far more glaringly than the actual song. Jay-Jay can be at times both coy and heartfelt, complicated and heartbroken. But even though this album can be maudlin at times, there are some very playful works to be heard on "Rush". He seems to have embraced the roller disco sound with "Teachers" and pushes the mirror ball even further on "Forbidden Words" and "Because of You". Don't worry, it isn't all fun and games, however. The music is a riot but the lyrics are crushingly emotive. "100,000 Years" is devastatingly beautiful. Jay-Jay impressed me years ago with albums like "Tattoo" and "Poison", now he delivers again with this glorious new entry. PETER MARKS |
