Review by Pat Joseph & Staff
J.R. Wilbur is a singer-songwriter from the New England area now living in Kentucky.
Her grew up in the 1960s and 70s and has worked in many local bands. He has two CDs, and a new 12" vinyl album titled Mood Swings to his credit. He has been writing and performing since the 1960s and has a new vinyl album to his credit titled Mood Swings. His song "Pictures of Libby" is a great way to get acquainted with J.R.'s talent.
“Pictures of Libby” moves like an 18 wheeler down the freeway. Harkening back to the golden era of Country Rock, this song puts the listener in a state of highway hypnosis through the use of driving rhythm, familiar harmonic progressions, three part vocal harmonies, and instrumental thrills.
The song begins with naked vocal harmonies, getting straight to the point and establishing a soulful tone which will continue throughout the song. The band enters with rhythmic hits and wastes no time creating a danceable, gritty energy, like a house band at a honky-tonk. A powerful yet relaxed fiddle, a driving rhythm section, and a twangy electric guitar combine to create a legitimate country sound that keeps the song jovial and honest.
Clever and comical lyrics offer a fresh perspective on a tale as old as time. Describing love lost, Wilbur sings “I get along much better with pictures of Libby than I ever did with Libby herself.” Wilbur’s lyrics are simultaneously vulnerable and accepting. He avoids self-pity and instead delivers dry wit through raw emotion “there just ain’t anyway to please a woman today, so you’re better off just pleasing yourself.” Wilbur’s lyrics makes his characters relatable, and somehow familiar.
“Pictures of Libby” delivers a well composed guitar solo, a compelling lyrical story, fun unison lines between the fiddle and the electric guitar, and a propulsive rhythm section. What more could you ask for? A great country ending puts a period on this sentence and leaves the listener smiling. This is a song that picks you up like a hitchhiker, tells you a story, and drops you off a few miles down the road.
For more information on J.R. Wilbur, please visit his website or Reverbnation.
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