Jethro Pickett is the go-to guitarist in his home Lutriwitta/Tasmania – look at any recent release and you will find his signature chiming guitars sparkling somewhere in the mix (Claire Anne Taylor, EWAH and Christopher Coleman being recent examples). In his new single ‘Jolene (not a cover’ – which he is at pains to make quite clear is not a cover of Dolly Parton’s classic – Pickett strikes out on his own and in the process has released something that sparkles and shines like the dappling sun on the cold waters off the sceptered isle he calls home.
‘Jolene’ has a whiff of alt country or americana in the tones and yet a Burt Bacharach pop majesty is at the fore. Guitars positively shine with a luminescent thrill and Pickett’s vocals are indelible and velvet soft. A melancholic air threads through the delivery, bolstered by weeping strings and a dreamy pace. The chorus is shimmering and imperial with layers of angelic back up singing. Pickett imparts a knowing self-referential sense of humour under the heart-aching beauty of the sound, with a clear reference to the object of his desire and the titular Jolene. The lyrics have an inherent beauty in them; an expression of devotion expressed with a wry eloquence:
You could be my Jolene
It’s not your name and not my scene
My Jolene
Except for without the ownership that that implies
Jolene
I could talk to you forever and not cross a line
Jolene
Reassurance is a term for non ephemeral lives.
Pickett says:
The song, well, it’s trouble. Regarding Dolly Parton’s genius and my own attempt to tap into it…It had crossed my mind that Dolly Parton must be a songwriting master. The song Jolene (Dolly’s) is about a woman who actually is an amalgamation of two women that Dolly had observed … How can a story that leaves me so gutted with fear, desire and heartbreak be not strictly a personal tale? Also Dolly apparently wrote I will Always Love You on the same day as she penned Jolene. What the actual f…
And then there’s the recording session…Anyway I found the closet of much admiration and many infatuations in my mind and tried to put together such a character. Of course in Jolene (not a cover) It’s a massive failure, it just ends up being a typical linear tale from the depths of self despair interspersed with bits of self policing where I assure our protagonist I’m the perfect guy who doesn’t want to own anyone. Christ.
This is a delicious track, radiant and warm in both expression and delivery.
It comes with a poignant retro video directed Ursula Woods and which gives a respectful nod to the hair (Brooke Marklew) and clothing (Jane Makela) who go abovea nd beyond with the seventies vibes. Does Pickett have no sartorial shame? Clearly not: it’s a video that perfectly encompasses the melancholy and raised eyebrow tone of the track as he sings with all the pose and sincerity of a seventies TV journalist.
This is brilliant stuff. ‘Jolene (not a cover)’ is out now through the brilliant Behind the Beat Records (run by the legendary Phill Calvert – drummer in The Boys Next Door, Birthday Party, Psychedelic Furs and Blue Ruin) and available to stream and download here and through the link below:
Feature Photograph: Ursula Woods
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