The best way to spend second summer Saturday night was at The Jorgensens CD release, The Lexington Stretch, at the Como Pavilion Spring Café. On a surprisingly hot night, there’s almost a swampy sound to their music – Minnesota swampy. That’s especially true with Goin’ Goin’ Gone – what’s more Minnesotan than a song that mentions the weather? But the easy pace of sliding strings and a twang to Kurt Jorgensen’s voice.
The album, and the show, is a survey of Americana sound – jazz to blues, gospel to old time country. It was fun to see the full band on stage – the Como stage is large and it’s rare to see it so full. And you could hear the music all around the lake; usually you can only hear it halfway round.
The vocals on If the Sea Was Whiskey command attention. The horn puts you in a place. It’s almost a spiritual sound but for whiskey. I love how the lyrics and the music fit in space but not the meaning. It’s the kind of song you love as a kid because you think you understand it.
I’m a sucker for Real Women. I love the pacing at the start and Brianna Tagg-Jorgensen’s voice from gruff to sweet – in charge, yet plaintive. Like much of the show, the songs seems much older (nostalgic is maybe a better word) than they are; it works especially well with this song because it brings modern feminist ethos into the mixed messages that strong women have always up against.
Mostly Minnesota 