Last month, following a soft release on his own site, Jont released Gentle Warrior. It’s his ninth album, his first since the passing of his father and, perhaps uncoincidentally, his most sentimental. The album finds Jont exploring subjects like mortality, the metaphysical, the spiritual, and the universal raison d’être .
The album title is less coincidental. This is Jont at his most subdued. He’s no longer dancing barefoot in the streets of Rome, but offering us a guided meditation session. That “Gentle Warrior” has become quite literal as Jont has been performing the album in yoga centres. Crafted as a healing musical meditation, Jont has taken the edge off of his weapon and within the album he has created a space that feels more like sharing and engaging than simply pushing out a message.
“Gentle Warrior” also has Jont performing sans band, leaving his Infinite Possibility behind to travel solo. The image of the lanky troubadour suits him well, and the subdued live recording of his nylon-string guitar with no additional instrumentation or production is a natural fit.
“The arrangements on this album” says Jont, “are as simple as possible so as not to distract from the pure, melodic, and energetic message of each song, exactly as it came through, one winter evening in a small recording studio in Nova Scotia.”
At its heart, the album questions our beliefs, our place in the universe, our sense of permanence, and comes back with the fact that it doesn’t matter what you believe, so love as you can love. Jont, who is already a conscientious and engaging individual , has really delved into that with the new album. Most tracks seem to employ “love” (in the sense of philial love, rather than eros) as a mantra-like chorus.
“Teardrops & Pennies” showcases this best, with Jont whispering along that “we all live and die every day, we’re going to dance on the way” and seemingly absolves himself of everything but what life has taught him. Similarly, tracks like “Maylight” seem to embrace life with a bittersweet wonderment.
“Source of Love” is Jont’s most fatalistic song; an acceptance that inevitably we all evaporate off into space dust, and if that’s not enough for you there’s “The Windshield” to remind you that believing you’re much more significant than a bug on the road trip of life is just hubris. You need to carpe that diem. Go forth, find connections and meaning in the brief amount of time you’ve been allotted, because it’s all you get.
Tying it all together is “Church on Sunday,” which may be the most upbeat song on the album, in which Jont resolves a few disparities between polytheism and casually enjoying churches, or really any belief structure. It’s his own take on the golden rule; or in words of Sloan, “if it feels good do it.”
With “Gentle Warrior,” Jont is essentially provoking and walking us through our existential crisis. It teaches us to be open, loving, and accepting, because the alternative sounds fairly miserable. The wisdom he offers here are just as valuable as any merit of musicality.
The album release coincidences with his new subscription platform that should propel us and all music users into the post-Napster era of the industry. Subscribers will be able to access early and exclusive content.
“I’ve been waiting years to do this – until I felt absolutely sure that what I’m doing with my music merited your support,” writes Jont in his public announcement for the program.
“If the songs I sing and the gigs and ceremonies I put on are something you appreciate, then now you can actually show your appreciation with a small monthly donation (or a slightly bigger one) and help me go full-time with my music while also becoming part of a little online community that will seek to support each other and spread some joy and love to those that are needing it.”
In the meantine, you can catch Jont performing at yoga centers with what he describes as “the ultra intimate live experience” which features his devotional mantra singing friends John and Michelle Coleman.
Tour Dates:
06.05.19 – Nelson, BC @ SOMA Yoga Studio
06.07.19 – St. Albert, AB @ Lahari Yoga
06.08.19 – Saskatoon, SK @ Soul Foods Conscious Grocer