As far back as a decade, predating his recorded debut with the Indications, Durand Jones was gathering ideas developed in full for this, his first solo LP. The experiences that informed Wait Til I Get Over cover a greater length of time, reflecting upon Jones' upbringing and development, his grandmother's guidance, the sounds and words he soaked up in church, the complexities of his religious faith, romantic flings and elusive companionship alike -- ultimately the process of figuring out "this thing called life." A poetic spoken interlude illustrates the setting in a small rural community established by former slaves, Hillaryville, Louisiana, an environment that both nurtured and prevented Jones from being his whole self. What surrounds that track shatters any lingering perception of the singer as a mere everyman stylist. Although Jones can still fill that role as effectively as any of his peers -- as he does here on a galvanized update of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" -- the personalized conviction with which he writes and sings throughout this album is riveting. The most revelatory song is "That Feeling." Intoxicated and aflutter, Jones leads with "Boy, you see right through these bloodshot eyes and this grin on my face," and what starts as a tender love ballad builds into a cathartic belter with waves of charging guitar and strings. The more traditionally rendered "Sadie," an upbeat twist on "Dark End of the Street"-like storytelling, recounts with some embellishment an affair Jones had with a married woman. "Gerri Marie," another song of heartache, finds Jones at the piano, joined by only a string quartet, regretting separation by geography. Produced by Jones with Ben Lumsdaine and Drake Ritter, the album is a composite of live takes and intensive sonic processing and goes in a number of creative directions. In "I Want You," a staggering gait and Jones' slightly winded performance create almost as much as the lyrics a sense of inexhaustible dedication -- a steep march upstairs. "Wait Til I Get Over" is a stomping, dreamlike hymn with a multi-tracked Jones performing as a one-person gospel choir. Jones and a full band lineup (including Indications guitarist Kyle Houpt) kick up a squall on "Lord Have Mercy," more raucous than anything the singer has cut before. The quietest moment is reserved for the end with "Secrets," where words of assurance and support ("Don't let them take your humanity") fade out to the sound of a moving body of water, presumably the Mississippi River. Seemingly posed as a promise and a threat, Wait Til I Get Over is a striking and poignant deviation.
Andy Kellman. Allmusic.com
