Gibson-endorsed, touring and musical directing for artists like Colbie Caillat and Jessie James, a sure ‘infamous’ presence on the scene since his 20s, Jonathan Wyndham steps out full-frontal on his 10-song Middle Class & Infamous. Calling the songs here his “launching point,” Wyndham shows off his vocals, songwriting and guitar playing expertly from top to bottom, through rockers, jazz-y stabs, and a whole range of ballads.
The rumbly, “Make A Difference,” starts us off then we are into a rockin’ “Hook, Line & Sinker,” one of my favorites (I tend towards the man rockin’ more often than not here), where we get the first of what will be lots of Wyndham wailing (he’s Gibson-endorsed for a reason). He then slips into some slide playing and acoustic on ballad, “What Happened To Us.”
Wyndham’s soft touch, his perfectly placed vocal, light touch on acoustics comes up again on songs like “Numb,” and expert ender, a real pull at the emotions, “The Last Time.”
But the man can rock, as he does on another one of my favorites here, a swampy-like burner called “Secondhand Smoke.” Another of my faves here.
Where a musician, writer, producer, tour director finds him or herself over the course of a career, when one is just looking to survive, is not always exactly where one’s true heart lies. Or it lies in one place for a while, then the artist’s needs fly to other avenues or simply they just want to try other things. In Wyndham’s case, as he makes clear in the press for Middle Class & Infamous, he is no longer going to produce a record for himself while playing for somebody else, something he has done in spades and made his rep. on.
He says of this wonderful new release, “This is my flag in the sand, “I’m not dipping my toe in the water, I’m diving in” artist record. I’m in. I’ve ditched the sideman safety net, I’m whole heartedly taking these tunes to where they deserve to go.”
And go, I say!
