Jeff Kelly: When the World Was Younger
(Green Monkey Records, 2020)
By George Bilikas

One question that could be asked by future generations to us older ones, is "What did you do during the 2020 pandemic?". How many of us could answer that they did something creative, instead of the funny and well-worn "we gained weight"? How many of us could answer that they found a way to deal with the deteriorated landscape created by the covid-19 pandemic?

Jeff Kelly adapted his plans and channeled his energy into the creation and release of the album, "When the World Was Younger", showing his love for Spanish and Portuguese culture.

Jeff is a prolific songwriter who has been writing and recording music since 1984, initially with his band, the Green Pajamas, but also in his solo career during the recent years, on a total of 40+ albums that have been released so far.

I "met" him in 1990 with Green Pajamas' fourth album, "Ghosts of Love", and when I heard "Angle of Passion", I felt like I was struck by a lightning. Even today, I still cannot listen to it only one time.



No piece from "Ghosts of Love" lags behind. "Surfacing", "Death of Molly Bernard", "Jails", "Ghosts of Love", "Song for the Maid", "Emily Grace", these are some of the pieces that "grabbed" me with the first listening. They are small diamonds, which together form a big diamond called "Ghosts of Love". An album for 5/5 stars.

I then searched and found some of the older Green Pajamas’ albums, as well as some of Jeff’s solos like "Coffee in Nepal", diamonds all for me. He described them as "Old Suff" in a message he once sent me about "CiN" materials.

"You're right my dear friend Jeff. Everything is moving forward, everything is evolving, and so do the music and the songwriting of each of us, and since everything is evolving, I will agree with you that this is indeed old stuff, but in this case, you have to take into account an emotional connection I have with your songs. Okay, I know you understand that."

I was upset when Jeff recently announced the dissolution of the Green Pajamas. I understand, of course, that in our lives, some cycles end, and some others start, and understanding this, eased my grief, which turned to joy when I saw Jeff was still recording songs and releasing records, either with his wife Suzanne, or with Green Pajamas’ guitarist Laura Weller, or even alone as a solo artist, like this latest album, "When the World Was Younger".

In this album, Jeff shows us his love for Spanish and Portuguese culture, which has already become apparent from his previous album, "Beneath The Stars, Above the River" (2019), and which has pleasantly surprised me, since I have the same love for the Iberian Peninsula and its culture.

The title "Of Missingness" of the following album we could translate with the Portuguese word "Saudade". It is what could have happened, but we realize it has never happened.



For "Only Endless Tomorrows", it was said that such a song could have been written by Cohen as well. Yes, maybe it could, in the sense that this piece is permeated with the melancholy that characterizes the work of both of the poets/songwriters, because in my opinion, Jeff is doing poetry here.



The songs on the album are a love letter to Iberian countries and culture, including of course "Cristina Dancing", which Jeff wrote as a tribute to Flamenco dancer Cristina Hoyos. So, waltz or flamenco? The music invites you to a waltz but combining traditional folk structures with the touch of Spanish flamenco music.



Jeff said he hopes this album "is a little bit of something to help momentarily distract the senses, heal the heavy heart and uplift the spirit". Trying to find his own way through these difficult times that we all experience, he did just that, not only for himself but for me and for you, and for those who want to find a relaxing musical escape from the harsh our daily reality.



So, I listen to the new songs, I experience new musical proposals, I feel that a new cycle has opened, I travel to new musical atmospheres, and I hear a favorite familiar voice, which sends me nostalgically, back to the old favorite indelible canvas of Green Pajamas, but with a fresh new feeling.

When the World Was Younger

Thank you, Jeff. Well done…

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