Sweet Control: The Best of Jon Lucien

Jon Lucien is not sentimental or emotional, and he does not sing of love lost. He is sensual and romantic and he sings of love found, of the wonder of life and nature when love is at hand. He sings in a voice that is warm, lush, gentle, powerful and playful. His music is not jazz, caribbean, or soul, but he somehow encompasses the essence of all of these in his unique arrangements.

With that said, “Sweet Control” varies in quality of material. As a chronological compilation of songs from 1970 through 1993, it reveals Jon’s passage through several record labels and producers. The liner notes tell the story of this passage and of the difficulty Jon had balancing his musical vision with his commercial packaging. He seems to have hit his mark perfectly on the album Rashida, and as a result, the best tracks (#2-#9) are bunched together from this period. Of these, only #2 and #9 are not from “Rashida”. On tracks #10-15, you can sense Jon struggling with his packagers, and he was not meant to be packaged. Still, these songs are listenable, with the exception of “Creole Lady”, in which he sounds like he is spoofing himself, the only bomb on the album. Then, suddenly, there is Track #16, “Mother Nature’s Son” (not the Beatle’s song!), where Jon seems once again to be fully in “sweet control” of his music - it is a stunningly beautiful and exciting song. My very favorites are “Lady Love” (#4), “Luella (#5), “The War Song” (#7), and “Mother Nature’s Son” (#16). In these four songs can be found the best of what is wonderful about Jon Lucien.