Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson) – Passage du Desir
A few years back, Sturgill Simpson let us all know that he’d be releasing five – and only five – albums under his own name. After those five records (plus two Cuttin’ Grass albums that were largely bluegrass takes on his catalog) and six Grammy nominations (including one Best Country Album statuette for 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth). Simpson has kept that promise…sort of. The erstwhile John Sturgill Simpson last year adopted the name Johnny Blue Skies and made his debut on Diplo’s single, “Use Me (Brutal Hearts).” Before that, Simpson had been recovering from a 2021 vocal cord injury, and rumors began to swirl about a new tour and a proper Johnny Blue Skies record. After a spate of dates were announced, word came down that we’d finally get that album – Passage Du Desir is out, supplanting months of mystery with another chapter from one of country music’s most uncategorizable talents.
A single-free rollout for Passage Du Desir created equal doses of anticipation and apprehension for longtime Simpson fans – was “Use Me” an indication of the Johnny Blue Skies sound? Well, if his Diplo-adjacent coming out party wasn’t quite your cuppa Joe, relax – Passage Du Desir is DJ-free. Rather, the album lives parallel to A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, with hints of sea shanty instrumentation – note the accordion in the intro to the album’s first track, as well as frequent nautical references (maybe Blue Skies, like Simpson, is a Navy vet). Lyrically, “Swamp of Sadness” finds the singer adrift – “Rogue wave gets me mumbling then tumbling it takes me/Bouncing and rolling like a cork lost out at sea.” Blue Skies also handles all the vocals on the album, and his voice has less of an edge – perhaps a stylistic choice, or maybe a remnant of the vocal cord injury (Simpson will be touring – as himself – so the always-intense live shows will carry an added bit of interest).
Passage Du Desir takes a hard left on the next track, the soulful “If The Sun Never Rises Again,” a meeting of two messed-up souls – “Did you see a broken man you thought you could mend/Sometimes beginnings can come from an end”- who seem to solves each others’ problems for a night or two. “Scooter Blues” is a light, beach-y romp with a fantastic guitar riff (Blue Skies also provides nearly all of the guitars on the record) that finds the singer taking a vacation from his former self – “When people say are you him I’ll say not anymore.” And “Right Kind of Dream” rides an 80s wave that might remind you of Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby.”
If it’s pure-D Sturgill you’re still hankerin’ for, though, Johnny Blue Skies has got you covered. The epic “Jupiter’s Faerie” is some of Simpson’s best storytelling, with the singer chasing down an old love – “Then today while walking lost I saw a sign/That without effort brought your name to mind” – with heartbreaking results that have him questioning his own mental health – “But in my heart, I guess I always knew/Somehow one of us was gonna end this way.” “Mint Tea” is a jammy slice of country, the most “typically Sturgill” (if there is such a thing) song on the record, featuring excellent guitar, a hand on mandolin from Sierra Hull, and plenty of verbal riffs like, “You need an early morning matcha, girl I gotcha/You know my days don’t see the light.” “Mint Tea” segues into album-wrapper “One for the Road,” a Southern rocker that has Simpson/Blue Skies looking at these split personalities – “What if I told you that I’m not the man that you think I am/Would you listen or would I only hear the door behind you slam” – before bidding goodbye to…his love? His musical former self? Whatever the case may be, both Sturgill and Johnny share one trait – the absolute fearlessness to try something new.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “One for the Road” – With Simpson’s old band – Kevin Black (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar) and Miles Miller (drums) – joining him on tour, this song’s four-plus minute coda alone will be worth the ticket price (which, I should note, will hopefully be kept somewhat sane by Simpson’s refusal to use dynamic pricing).
Passage Du Desir was produced and mixed by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson, engineered by Sean Sullivan and mastered by David Glasser. All songs written by JS Simpson. Musicians on the album include Johnny Blue Skies (guitar, vocals), Jake Bugg (additional acoustic guitar), Matt Combes (strings), Dan Dugmore (pedal steel), Fred Eltringham (drums, percussion), Sierra Hull (mandolin, sirens), Steve Mackey (bass), Mike Rojas (keys, melodica, accordion).
Go here to purchase Passage Du Desir from Johnny Blue Skies: https://shop.sturgillsimpson.com/?ffm=FFM_169f3809a98c9a4f68a9ff2253069458
Check out Sturgill Simpson Tour Dates here: https://sturgillsimpson.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Sturgill Simpson Songs Ranked
