Album review: Jerry Lawson, ‘Just a Mortal Man’ out now

There’s a saying that goes ‘they don’t make them like they used to’. And in the case of vocalist Jerry Lawson, they just might be right. A mainstay in the music industry for over forty years, he has released 20+ albums as a member of vocal groups such as The Persuasions and Talk of the Town, picking up awards and singing alongside legends along the way.

Now though, at 71, Jerry Lawson is taking his first steps as a solo performer. It’s a hell of a time to be making your debut, under the somewhat ironic title ‘Just a Mortal Man’. The album includes 13 hand picked tracks by Jerry Lawson himself, who is clearly enjoying himself on each one. And why not after a career like his?

The joy comes through in his smooth baritone, even on the slower numbers, and with a selection of songs from ace songwriters David Ruffin and Bobby “Blue” Bland, as well as tracks by Brace, Peter Cooper, Phil Lee, Ayo, and Paul Simon. The genres shift and change with each song, from blues, to soul, gospel, rock and roll and more, and all the while you can almost see the smile on Lawson’s face.

This is a fitting debut for an under-appreciated legend of old school showbusiness. They don’t make them like they used to.

https://redbeetrecords.com/