JFK Blue – Why ? – TrackTally UK

“Why?” is a six-minute-and-forty-nine-second blues-rock piece that doesn’t shrink from its ambitions and gives off a strong sense of scale, a characteristic that is typical of the London-based seven-piece band JFK Blue. Having developed their sound on the basis of big-band ideas, authentic musicianship and arrangements that are spacious enough for all the players to play their part, they place at the heart of the matter singer-songwriter and lead guitarist Stef Allsebrook, whose vocal performance and guitar playing are what give the song its emotional depth. Although the song is ultimately concerned with both love that has been won and love that has been lost, JFK Blue transform these common emotions into something much more powerful, injecting the track with fierce blues-rock energy and a massive, full-sounding quality.

There is a certain appeal in the way that JFK Blue treat their music as a group. Instead of the sound resembling a piece put together bit by bit, “Why ?” has the atmosphere of seven musicians reacting to each other in the same room, enabling the arrangement to develop and grow in a natural way. This organic method is at the heart of the band’s character, the songwriting being based on observations concerning life, relationships and all the things in between. The song’s history also contributes another dimension to its narrative. It was first released at the end of 2019 and was starting to build a following before the arrival of Covid caused the progress to come to an abrupt stop. The song’s current reappearance, coming ahead of the band’s upcoming second album, does not seem like a simple re-release and is more like the revival of a song that had never really got the opportunity to complete its journey.

The song ‘Why ?’ was recorded at Bonafide Studios in Muswell Hill with producer and engineer Brian Bogdanovich, and it shows JFK Blue at a stage where their ambition and musical ability come together. The production allows the seven-piece band to have a broad sound, exactly as they intend, while at the same time retaining the character and flaws that make the performance of live musicians so appealing. Throughout the record there is the impression that the band is determined to do things their own way and places trust in their chemistry rather than trying to follow whatever is currently in vogue. ‘Why ?’ is therefore not just a blues-rock song about the highs and lows of love; it is a statement from a band that knows what it is like to play together and is not afraid to make a bold, unapologetic sound.

In six minutes JFK Blue turned their songs on love – both the good and the bad – into a blazing display of big-band style blues rock, showing that when seven musicians get into the same rhythm the outcome is impossible to ignore.