Simple Life

Sparse even by Mason Jennings standards, the self-produced Simple Life, dubbed "A Collection of Solo Acoustic Songs," was recorded in his friend Tom Garneau's living room directly to two-track tape. It received a limited release by Jennings' own Minneapolis-based Architect Records, on which he also released the more major Century Spring the same year. As the title would suggest, this is a set of simple, acoustic folk songs which seem to find an artist already known for his sincerity at his most personal and spirited. Many songs contain elements of confessional storytelling reminiscent of Bob Dylan's Another Side of Bob Dylan; Jennings is, after all, first and foremost a fantastic storyteller, here condensing brief narratives into sweet, intimate vignettes which hint that a simple life can often be anything but. Many of the lyrics are even ironically preoccupied with death, from Jennings' resolve to keep living in "Ain't Gonna Die," to the everlasting peace imagined in "In My Grave." It also seems to be something of a concept album, loosely chronicling the various stages of the end of a relationship; in "Isabel," he's sad, in "Isabella Part II," he's angry, and in "12/8 Time," he gets revenge ("Now her key don't fit/ I'm not gonna let her in."). The definitive statement on the album, however, is the riveting final track, "Rebecca DeVille," in which he plays equal parts narrator and protagonist. The chorus pleads, "Anybody seen my baby?" while the verses fill in the details of her mysterious murder. Simple Life's raw, unpolished feel suits the material well. Executed magnificently in a casual environment, it surely ranks among Mason Jennings' finest work. ~ Ben Peterson