Billy Jones - Roy on the Hill (2023)

This set performed by Billy Jones with Slainte (his band) comes 40 years after his first LP & 10 records. This new set features 12 originals that display Jones’ many influences – Irish, Scottish & American folk music, rockabilly, country, blues & roots music.

Produced by Danny Johansson in Gothenburg, Sweden Roy On the Hill (Released May 1– Beejayzuz Music) showcases the rootsy Billy Jones (acoustic guitar/lead & harmony vocals) who wrote & arranged all songs. They immediately have a warm traditional sound. A country-styled fiddle saws on through the opening song “Mirror, Mirror,” with a bright catchy melody.

Shades of 50s rock n’ roll dominate the upbeat “Thunder” that’s filled delightfully with country inflections where Billy Jones really lets loose with his rockabilly voice. The steady tap, fiddle sawing & banjo picking has an abundance of sawdust, cider & barbecue.

The title track “Roy On the Hill,” is about a dog & it’s told like Elvis’ antique ballad “Old Shep,” with slow lullaby-like melodic storytelling. The recording production is lukewarm – not much clarity in any string playing. The fiddle could’ve been a little more upfront. Jones’s vocals are vintage sounding, warm & mostly modest.