Joe Jackson

At this point in his career, it’s redundant to say that Joe Jackson is making more mature albums. His articulate, melodic style always seemed a little out of place, even at the start of his career almost 30 years ago and to be perfectly honest, it doesn’t sound like much has changed with the release of Rain. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though and all the classic elements of a Joe Jackson album are here, including lots of characteristic piano, no guitar at all and ten songs that could have come out at pretty much any time during his career. Like Ben Folds’ older, more considered brother, Jackson paints pictures that capture moments with great detail. His dalliances with classical music are apparent as well, with rich arrangements that are a little too polished, at times. Rain is one of those albums that will definitely please existing fans, but others might just see it as an attempt to recapture former glories that were never really lost. At the end of the day, it’s another decent Joe Jackson album.