Family music entertainer Jesse Friedberg (a.k.a. Jesse Jukebox) released his latest album, Just a Minute early this month. His fourth album, it is a fun new offering for the whole family regardless of audiences’ familiarity with Friedberg and his work. That is due in part to the album’s musical content, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical material is just as important to the album’s presentation as that primary content. It will be discussed a little later. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and finishes the album’s presentation. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make Just a Minute a presentation whose 28-minute run time is worth every second.
Just a Minute, Jesse Friedberg’s fourth album, is a fun album for the whole family, regardless of audiences’ familiarity with him and his work. The record’s enjoyment comes in part through its musical arrangements. Right from the album’s outset, audiences get an intriguing work in ‘One Minute Song.’ The instrumentation is a garage punk style work that throws back to the sounds of the late 80s and early 90s. Meanwhile, Friedberg’s vocals are akin to those of the late great Tom Petty. It is an intriguing mix that somehow works. Right after that, audiences get a work in the vein of Sugar Ray in ‘How Long?’ ‘Groovy Kangaroo’ meanwhile gives audiences a touch of funk. Throughout the course of the album’s remaining songs (there are 28 songs in all), the diversity in the sounds and styles continues solidly from one to the next. There’s literally a polka at the center of ‘Pierogi Polka,’ a touch of hip-hop in ‘The Beat is Back’ and some rockabilly a la Rev. Horton Heat in ‘(Swindled By a) Possum.’ Again, what audiences get in this record’s musical content is so much diversity in the album’s musical side. To that end, that diversity makes for more than enough reason for families to take in this record.
As much as the musical content does for Just a Minute, it is just one part of what makes the album so enjoyable. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content make for their own interest. That is due to their own diversity. Throughout the course of the album’s nearly 30-minute run time, Friedberg presents audiences with so many themes. ‘It’s OK to Not Be Ok’ is exactly what the song’s title infers. It addresses the ongoing mental health concerns plaguing the world. What’s more he does it in a way that makes it fully accessible to young audiences and does so in barely more than a minute. On another note, Friedberg encourages his young audiences to embrace themselves in terms of their personalities. In short he presents a song here that focuses on the all too familiar topic of self-confidence. This as he tells young listeners that “it’s okay to be weird.” This, interestingly enough, ties directly into the noted topic of mental health among children. On yet another note, Friedberg tackles the topic of childhood literacy in ‘Library.’ On the surface, the song finds Friedberg singing about the joy of going to a library and picking out a book, reading it in one’s little nook there at the building. He sings about the different kinds of books from which readers can choose. It is just one more example of the diversity in the album’s lyrical themes. When these themes are considered alongside the rest of the album’s themes, the whole strengthens the album’s presentation that much more.
Keeping in mind all that the album’s primary and secondary content does for the record’s presentation, there is still one more item to examine. That item is the sequencing of that content. The sequencing is important to note because of its role in the album’s general effect. It takes into account, the diversity of the overall content and ensures that as the album progresses, the energy in the album’s musical content remains stable even as the sounds and styles change. At the same time, it also ensures that the lyrical themes change up from one to the next throughout. The end result is a presentation that succeeds just as much for the presentation of its content as for its content. To that end, the album in whole proves to be yet another welcome addition to this year’s field of new family music albums.
Just a Minute, the latest album from Jesse Jukebox (a.k.a. Jesse Friedberg), is an enjoyable new offering from Friedberg that the whole family will appreciate. That is due in part to the diversity featured in the album’s musical arrangements. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content are just as diverse as said material. It makes for its own interest. The sequencing of that content brings everything together and completes the album’s presentation. When it and the content are all considered together, the whole makes the album overall another welcome addition to this year’s field of new family music albums that the entire family will enjoy and appreciate.
Just a Minute is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Jesse Jukebox’s latest news at:
Website: https://jessejukebox.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JesseJukebox
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jjkidsongs
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