Janah

World That Surrounds You (Rattlesby)
by Scott Hefflon

So the story is that vocalist/guitarist Keith Johnston spent some time on the Mediterranean searching both spiritually as well as musically. He returned to the States (Georgia, specifically) and created music the likes of which you rarely hear ’round these parts. Comparisons to U2 are obvious because of the tone of his voice, as are references to Peter Gabriel and Enya, simply cuz who else can you namedrop who people’ll know? Awful as it sounds, the simple fact that Janah follows a slightly different drummer (but let’s not kid ourselves, there’re still the restrictions and rules and parameters of style, they’re just different than traditional rock) is cause enough for celebration.

There’s the breast-swelling Bono-style vocal that reaches deep and makes you glad to be alive, and there’s an open, wind-on-the-plains feel, like classic U2 at their finest, and there’re tribal instruments thunking, clicking and clanking in ways very non-duh rock’n’roll. Maybe this is par for the course for World Music, I wouldn’t know cuz I can’t sit through most of the stuff long enough to develop much of an ear for it. I do know I once had a neighbor who’s cooking smelled great (but also smelled like it’d dissolve your innards like Drano) who cranked manic Indian percussive music that made speedmetal seem very one-dimensional. Hey, like scruffy long-hairs in the late ’80s were the only ones to worship speed and hit things rapidly? There’s a lot of energy here, and everyone I play it for likes it, thinks it’s kinda hippie trippy but cool, and wants to know who it is and where they can get a copy.
(www.janah.org)