Since the release of his second release, “Cutting Ties” in 2014, Jeff Brown has had quite a bit of time to cultivate what would become his third album. And in the meantime, he fell in love, got married, bought a home, and discovered he would be uprooting his entire life to move from Chicago to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Despite the upheaval, Brown has managed to settle in and firmly find himself in the Americana/Indie-folk soundscape with his upcoming album “1000 Ways,” inspired by the saying that, ‘when you are at your most lost, there are always at least 1,000 ways to come home again’. True to its title, the album is a collection of songs and stories about struggling to find purpose — to find belonging — to find home. From the soothing centerpiece “Reykjavik” to the final strains of “Here and Now”, the album is a journey in and of itself.

The album starts with a song interestingly enough called “The Last Song”, a delicate but short listen made all the more lovely with the achingly perfect strings provided by cellist Alex Gilewicz. From there, the album picks up with “All For Nothing” – a boisterous foot-stomping track with an energy and joy that belies the melancholy lyrical content, driven largely by Chaz Goodman on banjo, and the flawless vocals of Chicago’s Liz Chidester.

1000 Ways continues with the track “Hallelujah”, a bold move for any singer-songwriter, not least of all one named Jeff. NB: if you’re expecting a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s masterpiece, you’re out of luck.

“Reykjavik” is a solemn stunner, and a fitting mid-point for an album like Brown’s. It could be content to sit back and rely on the strength of guests on harmony vocals and mandolin (provided by Brian Powers of folk darlings Frances Luke Accord), but if you strip away all of the trimmings and production, it’s frankly just a well-written song about realizing you’re exactly in the place that you were meant to be all along. And isn’t that what we all really needed to hear?

1000 Ways’ instrumentation, arrangement, and delivery bring to mind the rawness of Damien Rice’s O, and the richness of Iron & Wine’s The Shepherd’s Dog – up until, oddly enough, the title track, which, though thematically resonant, felt a bit sonically like the odd man out. It’s a rock track hidden in a folk album. A well-executed rock track, but one that felt a bit bigger than the album.

The album ends with a contemplative closer “Here & Now” – posing the questions of loss & identity, “What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to say? We’ll find a way”. I hope Brown figures it out, but if this album is any indication, he’s already got a really good idea…
(Review by Chicago Acoustic Underground – 2019)

1000 Ways is now available to the public via iTunes, CDBaby, Bandcamp, and more!  Visit the Music page for links…