Josh
Haskins – J Walkin’ (Independent)
Josh Haskins artistic aspirations were nurtured and
nourished in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, where he pursued a variety of
artistic ventures, including music (he fronted local punk band YouthFuse),
cinematography and stage acting. It was the latter where he first made a mark,
winning several awards and eventually earning a place on a summer residency at
the Governor’s School for Performing Arts in Richmond. It was during that
summer that Haskins first began to take an interest in political and protest
songs and the craft of the singer-songwriter.
He’d always enjoyed folk and bluegrass music, but it
was the discovery of Woody Guthrie that led to the realization that the passion
and direct approach of punk could be fashioned within a folk music setting,
implemented simply with just unamplified instrumentation and vocals. “J
Walkin’” is Haskins’ debut album, a twelve track collection that fulfils all
his objectives. He’s an accomplished songwriter with a voice that harks back to
earlier times, and it perfectly compliments his words. Furthermore, although
it’s evocative of the post-war, pre-rock ‘n’ roll, acoustic style that Guthrie
helped formulate, it’s also contemporary, insofar as his themes are current and
his style is timeless. It’s worth remembering that young men with acoustic
guitars will always be relevant.
Titles such as “Hello Darlin'
Tennessee”, “Bosher's Dam” and “Talkin' J Walkin' Blues” offer further clues to
Haskins’ sound, but by far the best option is to listen to a few soundclips and
make up your own mind. If any of the above has piqued your interest, I think
you’ll enjoy what you hear.
Simon M.
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