Review: Gary Clark Jr. ‘JPEG RAW’

Review: Gary Clark Jr. ‘JPEG RAW’

By Hal Horowitz

Gary Clark Jr. has never been a traditional blues artist but has found success with fans of that genre and drawn others in who may not have been.

The Austin born and raised singer/songwriter/occasional actor and superb guitarist has experimented outside established boundaries of the roots/blues scene from which he emerged.

Three studio sets (and two live ones) stretched his artistic grasp by infusing funk, hard/psychedelic rock, and even hip-hop into his already eclectic style. Clark attracted a substantial younger and wider audience due to his diverse approach which found him opening for, or collaborating with, the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Alicia Keys, Tom Morello and Willie Nelson. Three Grammy nominations, in the categories of rock and blues, for 2019s This Land, proved it was his most audacious, well received, and compelling statement to date.

That should prepare listeners for this post-pandemic studio recording, his first in five years. Clark again defies expectations, delivering a potent, near hour-long outing touching on even more approaches than before. Describing Clark as the Prince of Roots Music, based on his past and especially JPEG RAW, isn’t hyperbole.

First off, the album’s title is an acronym for Jealousy, Pride Envy, Greed… Rules, Alter Ego, Worlds… words indicating the breadth of Clark’s vision. And he delivers on that promise.

Between the Marvin Gaye-inspired soulful sex of “Alone Together” (complete with Miles Davis-sounding trumpet) which leads into the funked-up socio-political Stevie Wonder collaboration “What About the Children” (Wonder co-penned, sings and plays on it, one his finest recent performances) and the expansive progressive rock/hip-hop mash-up of “This is Who We Are,” these dozen spellbinding tracks grab your attention.

Clark also collaborates with George Clinton on the rather restrained yet riveting “Funk Witch U” (note the Prince-referenced title) and Americana singer Valerie June (a solid slice of Lenny Kravitz-shaped rocking, notably featuring a cool Sonny Boy Williamson sample and June’s distorted vocal) which includes the lyrics “Better run, better, run and hide /Better call your God, cause oh Lord I’m ‘bout to kill that man.”

Clark relaxes on the George Benson-infused single jazz guitar excursion “To the Ends of the Earth,” dives into a percussive Afro-beat/rap thing on the opening “Maktub” (“Time for the new revolution” sets the disc’s tone) and closes with the nine-minute suite “Habits,” an introspective piece expressing Clark’s doubts (“I know nothing is for sure” he repeats), switching tempos and sonics multiple times during its extended length.

Inventive guitar solos, some with substantial distortion, are woven into the album’s fabric, further intensifying the songs.

There’s a lot on this menu to digest, but that’s the point. JPEG RAW is another powerful addition to the already inspiring catalog of Gary Clark Jr.; a guy intent on crafting a complex auditory pallet, stripping down many philosophical musical walls of his blues base by displaying his vast and increasingly impressive instrumental, compositional, lyrical and production talents.

“Maktub”