Laurence Jones: A New Breed of British Blues Guitarist
I first heard Laurence Jones in Crawley when he supported Kenny Wayne Shepherd on his UK Tour earlier this year. This unasuming, polite young man came on stage with his band and proceeded to blow everyone away with his self-penned songs and heavy guitar riffs.
LAURENCE JONES PERFORMS "FOOLIN'ME" AT HAWTH THEATRE, CRAWLEY 27/10/2014
During the interval I went straight to the merch stand to get a copy of his new CD "Temptation". Laurence kindly signed it for me, had time for a quick chat and even posed for a picture too. This boy will go along way!
There has been a real buzz in the music press surrounding this clean cut 22 year old since he released his first CD in 2012 entitled "Thunder In The Sky". Classic Rock magazine quoted Laurence as being "Blues Rocks youngest Talent" and the "next big thing". Get ready to Rock Magazine gave the debut album "Thunder In The Sky" a 5/5 rating and said “Laurence Jones is a wise musical head on young shoulders". Blues & Soul Magazine said that "Temptation" will scoop awards and put Laurence firmly on the map".
Since then Laurence has clocked up some serious road miles from touring through out the U.K and Europe. in 2013 he supported one of his Blues influences, Walter Trout, who said "Laurence is a cross between Eric Clapton & Buddy Guy - he is a genius". High praise indeed, but rightly deserved as Jones was crowned "Young Artist of the Year," at the 2014 British Blues Awards.
Most of the songs on "Temptation" sound like they have been written by someone much older and wiser than any 22 year old I know! This is real rock & blues music for grown ups who appreciate catchy guitar riffs and fast paced Blues. From the opening track right to the close, Laurence Jones offers up a blistering set of songs that will have your feet tapping uncontrollably.
Jones went to Lafayette in Louisianna to make the album at Dockside Studios and it was all recorded live within a week for Ruff Records. Working with Yonrico Scott on Drums and Charlie Wooton on Bass, the album was produced by Mike Zito of Royal Southern Brotherhood. Zito says in the album sleeve notes that when he first met Laurence Jones he thought he was "too nice for rock and roll" but changed his mind after hearing him play. Zito not only managed to capture the raw sound of Jones' guitar playing, but also helped him to develop vocally. "He put his heart into every note he played, he sang with everything he had in him, and stood side by side with one of the best rythym sections in rock and roll".
WATCH LAURENCE JONES OFFICIAL PROMO VIDEO FOR "TEMPTATION"
What a lot of people don't know is that Laurence also suffers from Crohn's disease and has recently helped to raise money for charity. The fact that this young guy has battled with the disease and doesnt let it hamper his music or his life is a real inspiration.
We like Laurence Jones and we hope to be able to see him play live again, soon. For now we'll just have to make do with cranking our signed copy of "Temptation" up to 11!
