A Look Back at Always Been

Lets go back to 2013 shall we ? Here is a  stellar album  from Mason Jennings.  A true case of song writing mastery and a solid lyrical foundation. Always Been is definitely a start to finish listen. So for those of you ready to have some simple cruising into the weekend here is a solid album to take you there.

If you like what you hear, please support Mason Jennings by buying his music.

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About Mason Jennings

According to Jennings, the richness of texture and emotionalism on ‘Always Been’ has much to do with his newly slowed-down approach to songwriting. “The songwriting process had gotten so accelerated for me—I’d have an idea for a song and get so excited about it and immediately throw myself into recording,” he says. “With this album I took more time to focus and flesh everything out before I moved on.” And in carefully bringing his new songs to life, Jennings found that certain books, movies, and pieces of music were “lighting up” and volunteering themselves as inspiration. “It’s almost like I was being told, ‘Take a little bit of this, a little bit of that’—like there was a guided path and I was just following it,” says Jennings, listing Fats Domino, Louis Armstrong, authors Louise Erdrich and Haruki Murakami, and composer Johann Sebastian Bach among the artists who informed his songwriting process.

When it came time to record, Jennings turned the reigns over to Ramsey in order to give full attention to delivering a stellar performance on vocals and guitar. “Working with Bo really elevated my singing and playing,” says Jennings. “He’s very quiet, but he’s got this heavy presence, and it was important for me to do a good job because I respect him so much.” After recording, which included such magic moments as Jennings teaching DeMent to play the ukulele, the songs were handed over for mixing to Jerry Boys (another of Jennings’s dream collaborators and the sonic master behind Buena Vista Social Club).

With the songwriting and recording of ‘Always Been’ so wholly charmed, Jennings says his main ambition is for the album to uplift its listeners. “Music’s always been very transformative for me. I remember hearing ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ as a kid and having it hit me in a really deep way,” he says. Noting that the medicinal quality of DeMent’s albums was a major influence on the mood of ‘Always Been,’ Jennings adds that he ultimately aims to create music with its own healing effect. “I started making music because music saved my life when I was little—it was something I could go to and always have a feeling of connection, even when times were hard,” he says. “Above all else, I want to make sure I always remember that trying to give other people that sort of feeling is the major purpose behind what I’m doing.” (Read More)