EP REVIEW: JARROD DICKENSON - SMALL TALK - TOUR DATES

Few artists make such an impression that we can remember exactly where we first and last saw them - Jarrod Dickenson is one of them. #TEAMw21 first came into contact with Jarrod when he was supporting The Waterboys at Hammersmith Odeon. It was a night off reviewing for #TEAMw21 yet such was the impact he made, we stopped, said "Hello" and made sure to see him as soon as possible afterwards. Our last encounter was at a rather nice gathering with Signature Brew in Walthamstow in the company of Robyn Red and Hannah White.

For a while, the threat loomed that the date in E17 would be our final encounter, with Jarrod receiving a serious cancer diagnosis - so it is wonderful to report news of a forthcoming UK tour with his old pal JP Ruggieri and a new acoustic EP to boot "Small Talk".

The EP takes 5 songs from the "Big Talk" record and presents them in shiny new acoustic versions. The cover of "Big Talk" was a frozen NYC Yellow cab, in contrast "Small Talk" is a shiny version of the same vehicle, hopefully alluding to the fact that Jarrod himself is ready to ride once more.

The songs on "Small Talk" find Jarrod in fine fettle, the arrangements maybe acoustic brothers to their electric originals however the same care and attention has been taken and these versions shine in their own right.

"Home Again" matches jaunty guitar playing with wish to return home on the chorus.

The verses spell out his current predicament.

"Sitting here in this hotel bar, jukebox playing low

Whiskey in my glass, worry is all I know

Another night another flight, another dawn and day

All that's ever close to me is a thousand miles away"

Each couplet is separated with Jarrod, humming a line, the chorus fully conveys that wish to return.

"Take me home again , been so long since I've been home again"

"Long Hard Look" is an easy going blues number with Jarrod providing a spoken narration, while wife Clare Dickenson provides backing vocals on the chorus. The song opens with Jarrod looking at himself in the mirror while brushing his teeth and the central hopeful premise of the songs asks - Could we just be a bit nicer and Jarrod's mirror asks him

"Are you picking up your brother or shooting him down?" .

"Buckle Under Pressure" even in this stripped back format, has the zing and zest of it's full band relation, effectively a duet with Claire as it details his struggles with his previous record company who wanted to "Bury my treasure".

"You can knock me down

Baby, I’ll come up swinging

You can steal my songs

But you can’t keep me from singing"

"Born To Wander" details the life of a travelling musician and contrasts the hard life with the reality that he wouldn't choose another path. There's an honesty in the lyrics that is refreshing as it accepts that the road ahead is not going to be easy.

"Maybe I was just born to wander

Maybe I was just born to swim upstream

Easy street never looked appealing

Me, I’d rather keep running down a dream"

"Prefer To Lose" comes with a downbeat blues tune as Jarrod becomes a low down character. He has always had the inate ability to inhabit the characters in his songs, and he is able to make this reprehensible person seem three dimensional.

"The sun was rising as I stepped out from the alleyway

Both my bags filled with regret

I hailed a taxi, and proceeded to make my getaway

Doing the thing I do the best"

Not only that but he is able to almost elicit a degree of sympathy for him as one of life's great losers.

"Some folks know how to win at every game

But me, I've mastered the art of throwing it all away

Just like I'm happiest when I sing the blues

Oh, I guess somewhere deep inside I just prefer to lose"

A perfect companion piece to the original albums electric versions, it is a great listen - and the news that Jarrod will be touring the UK in February is such good news - we cannot recommend going to see him highly enough.

Hear the songs of "Small Talk" in their original "Big Talk" format with Jarrod Dickenson's full band 2026 UK Tour