‘Leave All Your troubles with Me’ may not, on first listen, have the instant swaying, sing-a-long and seafaring credentials of Meb Jon Sol’s jaunty ‘Captain of this Ship’, but just apply the listen-three-times rule and what initially seems a rueful and sombre tune soon hooks you in.
Betrayed at first by apparent simplicity, it skilfully unfurls in its own time to reveal a certain sentient complexity. A melodious fiddle and banjo 20 second intro, heralds the opening lines and the tone is set: “When it’s early in the morning/before the sun’s even dawning/and sleep feels like so far away.” And we’re off. Ships ahoy.
It’s the eve of a journey, post-partum party mournfulness and sleep won’t come. There’s whisky, maybe rum. Our intrepid sailor will soon be gone with the wind, and promises his lover he’ll take all those troubles and let them blow away, so that when he returns, they’ll all be gone. An adorable sway-along, sea shanty song on the surface, yet there’s so much more going on in between it seems, with a catchy chorus and ongoing banjo, harmonica and fiddle interlude.
With an intriguing moniker that hardly rolls off the tongue, Omagh-man Meb Jon Sol, formerly of Colenso Parade, launches his album ‘Southpaw Niños’ on 13th October (translates as Left Handed Children I think). Being a southpaw myself, I know how it feels to grow up awkwardly in a world which is the wrong way round. I very much look forward to hearing the full package in due course, I suspect it may have a similar outlook.
I’d gladly leave all my troubles with anyone that asked, but they really wouldn’t want them. A kindly sentiment nonetheless. Better be the Captain of your own ship than paddle your own canoe. Meb Jon Sol seems to have gathered about him, a fine and fun-loving crew.
Meb Jon Sol plays the album launch show for ‘Southpaw Niños’ in Voodoo, Belfast on Wednesday 22nd October.