​Jeffrey Foucault (from the album The Universal Fire

​Jeffrey Foucault (from the album The Universal Fire

​Jeffrey Foucault (from the album The Universal Fire available on Fluff and Gravy Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

Jeffrey Foulcault is an exceptional Singer/Songwriter, and with 18 albums to his credit, both on his own and in the company of fellow travelers, he’s highly regarded as one of today’s most notable voices in Americana realms. Of course, there’s a lot of competition vying for such standing, and it takes passion and perseverance to secure notice and notoriety. Nonetheless, Jeffrey Foucault was inspired by the best — Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, and Rodney Crowell being among his initial influences. He’s achieved his kudos of his own along the way, but that big breakthrough that brings some decided public perception remains elusive overall.
Whether or not Foucault’s latest offering, The Universal Fire, will alter that status remains to be seen, but if quality, care, and compassion are factored in, then indeed, it may offer a chance to attain that big breakthrough. He’s been reasonably prolific up until now, and it is, in fact, Jeffrey Foucault’s first new release outing in some six years. 
Nevertheless, it’s an album that’s highly charged with emotion, one written and recorded in the wake of the loss of his best friend, drummer Billy Conway, to whom the record is dedicated. It finds Jeffrey Foucault ruminating on the deeper meaning of mortality, loss, and those unexpected encounters that intercept one’s life without warning or regard. The melodies mostly complement those meditative musings, from the hushed and haunting circumspect of “Winter Count”, the pensive perspective of “East of the Sunrise”, and the title track, to the steady stride of “Solo Modelo”, the easy flow of “Moving Through”, and the breezy tempo that glides throughout “Crushed Ice and Gasoline”. On the other hand, there’s a contradictory tone taken on “Sometimes Love”, a song that describes unsettled circumstance borne from a love affair that relies more on convenience than comfort, but becomes binding all the same.

‘Sometime love 
Isn’t noble or grand
Sometime love
Burns right through your hands
Sometimes love
Just hurts you so bad…’
Indeed, it’s an imperfect world, but with the help of some exceptional musicians — including pedal steel player Eric Heywood, saxophonist Mike Lewis, singers Pieta Brown and Kris Delmhorst, and various members of Calexico and Bon Iver —-Jeffrey Foucault effectively captures those feelings that are often in flux and yet impenetrable at the same time. It is, in fact, the very thing that fuels that universal fire, a blaze that sears the souls of all those unnerved in a most tumultuous time. (by Lee Zimmerman)
Listen and buy the music of Jeffrey Foucault from AMAZON
 
            Please visit the Jeffrey Foucault website for more information