ALBUM REVIEW: Jelly Ellington - Glow

Texas-hailing Jelly Ellington’s latest album ‘Glow’ seamlessly weaves hard-hitting, classic rock guitar lines with modern day pop, making it not only a wonderful homage to the guitar-gods of old, but also a brilliant standalone piece in its own right.

Clearly taking notes from the Blues Rock of 1960s and 1970s, a smattering of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan can definitely be heard, a distorted electric guitar often echoing vocals with a gloriously Bluesy intonation. That being said, however, Ellington has clearly found his own stylistic voice, not only on the guitar, but musically as a whole, blending a classic Texas Blues sound with modern Pop production, with catchy motifs played on the bass as well as the synth, particularly in songs such as ‘Somebody to Love’, the first single to be released back in March. 

Tracks where the electric guitar work especially stand out include the opening title track ‘Glow’, where a reverberated guitar accompanies only vocals, before it bursts into an undeniably addictive guitar riff not dissimilar from Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Sun’.  Yet again, the mixture of the classic sounding with a modern production style, driving the crisp drums forward in the mix, highlight this project as far more than just a pastiche, whilst still clearly demonstrating Ellington’s influences. 

The second single, released at the beginning of April, ‘Goodbye Rain’ is again, a more pop-oriented track, with inflections of Country and Folk music (the steel guitar scratching an itch in every Folk fan’s brains). It exhibits Ellington’s proficiency on an acoustic guitar, as well as an electric, also shown on the penultimate track ‘Copperhead Blues’, recorded with and featuring the vocals of John Trufant. The intro of this track would transport anyone to the West, mentally donning themselves in a pair of cowboy boots and a Stetson hat. Ellington’s latest project ‘Glow’ proves his place amongst the best of the modern guitar heroes.