Buy So What Happens Now here (Joel's website)
(Please support the artist by buying directly from Joel's own online store)
The. Show. Must. Go. On. In 2019, I saw 43 musical theatre shows at venues up and down the country. I bought cast recordings, souvenir booklets and merchandise. It is a genre of entertainment that lifts the souls of thousands upon thousands across the world - and, in 2020, it all came to a screeching Covid-19 related halt. In the months that followed, creative types found their own way of embracing their craft and, as some shows finally start to grace the stages once more, those artistic endeavours are also bearing fruit. Which brings me to the debut album of Joel Harper-Jackson. The Kinky Boots alum has clearly poured his heart and soul into So What Happens Now; a collection of treasured musical theatre and pop standards. Across 11 tracks he conveys his own experiences and emotions through beautifully produced scores and nuanced vocal performance. It is evident that each song means something to him - and in sharing those songs with us he hopes we relate them to our own journeys, a cathartic experience which will help us collectively move towards a better tomorrow.
The album starts with a studied interpretation of Another Suitcase Another Hall. Set to elegiac acoustic guitar, Joel's falsetto unveils a fragility and vulnerability that reflects not only the end of the lyrical love affair but also the uncertainty actors faced (and continue to face) as theatres closed their doors. It sets the scene for a cohesive narrative thread that runs through this selection of songs. On Summertime, his voice forms a symbiotic relationship with the cello accompaniment to leave the listener with the sense that the instrumental is just as important to the narrative as the vocal. It feels almost otherworldly, Joel's gorgeous androgynous style feels like he's looking down at an existence that is just out of reach. If he savours every moment, then that is certainly the theme of Don't Want To Miss A Thing. The Aerosmith power ballad becomes an introspective musing, his voice soaring just when it needs to yet giving an intimacy when it needs to (and which is just as powerful). When Simon Gordon joins him to make this a stirring duet, it is the most passionate and sensuous melodic dialogue you'll hear in many an age.
One Last Time transforms Ariana Grande's heartbreak ballad into a nocturnal lullaby; the type of thoughts that fill your head when the lights go low and sleep evades you. There is a tangible yearning in Mr Harper-Jackson's voice that seeps into your consciousness. Once again, the guitar is a gentle yet effective accompaniment - essential to elevating the dynamic performance. Muse's Plug In Baby explores the other side of hurt; dramatic strings make this as vivid as any soliloquy on the stage whilst Joel commands with an indie-rock performance, bending emotion in notes to his will. It is a mesmerising condemnation that lingers long after the song. Jolene, the Dolly Parton evergreen, takes on a haunting aura of obsession, as if the events of the song have left our protagonist shattered with nothing less to lose. It is a searing interpretation, almost as if inspired by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. It is a slow burn whose embers never quite fade. Equally hypnotic is Creep, where Joel is joined Lauren Byrne. Just when you think you know a song, it is given new insight through making this a studied duet of insecurity and longing. The tenderness in their combined "you're so fucking special" is enough to make you weep.
Hallowe'en comes early on an eerie but effective Sweet Dreams. Tapping into his lower register gives Joel an intense ferocity that, at times, hints at an anguish. The crescendo in the song as it progresses makes this a layered, textured treat that gives the song a frisson of exciting danger - like a rough kiss in the darkened club from a stranger. Perhaps it is said stranger who is The Man That Got Away. I played this Judy Garland song a lot when I was a lovestruck teenager, having unrequited love affair after unrequited love affair. In the hands of Joel, it is everything I imagined it would be like if I had the pipes to do it justice. And that is a huge part of Joel's appeal. He sings in a way that conveys our own thoughts in eloquent, harmonious ways we can't quite manage. Judy would be proud. Tragedy sees Jodie Steel help transform this into a sorrowful ballad, full of pathos and poignant reflection. There is such palpable devastation in each individual voice that by the time they combine for the chorus it is a woeful calamity of epic proportions. The album comes to a close with Chris Isaak's Wicked Game. If Another Suitcase, Another Hall was the start of the adventure, this is the denouement of the roads Joel has taken. It is one last cruel joke, but the inevitability of life - we love, we hurt, but we love again whether we want to or not. It is a beautiful ending to a stunning story.
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