If you, like me (and many others), are disappointed that the singles from Justin Timberlake’s forthcoming Man of the Woods album did nothing to live up to the “return to nature” symbolism that seeped through the grandiose album teaser, divert your gaze to Bahamas. Toronto singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen released his fourth album Earthtones last week, in the wake of lead singles "No Wrong", "Way With Words", "Bad Boys Need Love Too" and a similarly-minded song for the soundtrack of The Tribes of Palos Verdes. He recently followed that up with “Bahamas In Nature”, a naturalistic 9-minute music video that sees Jurvanen benefit from some relaxing R&R in a cabin by the lake as he performs “No Expectations”, “Bad Boys Need Love Too”, “No Wrong”, and “Everything To Everyone”.
Unlike Timberlake, Jurvanen has no grand intentions of mythologizing nature in a bid to reinvent himself. Jurvanen rides a horse on the album cover, and takes his time to indulge in typical summer camping activities: outdoor grilling, canoeing in the lake, taking a walk across the hillside, and watching the sunset across the lake. Nature serves as a respite, a chance for some much-needed downtime and introspection.
There is, of course, the opportunity to exchange the bustle of urban life for a more tranquil and carefree existence. This is not to say that Jurvanen had escapism on his mind when he crafted his new collection of soulful and funk-inflected tunes (with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer James Gadson, who both contributed to D'Angelo's 2014 comeback album Black Messiah). The album was recorded after Jurvanen began dealing with the responsibilities and constraints of fatherhood, while trying to please audiences, fans and critics as a working musician.
With the help of backing singer Felicity Williams’ heavenly vocals, Jurvanen rhapsodizes about the challenges of everyday life on “No Wrong”: 'I was the champion but I folded my hand/ I got lonelier there in that one man band'. On "Bad Boys Need Love Too”, he languidly quasi-raps about deadbeat dads (‘I was still just a kid/ Barely out of my crib/ Left alone at home yes I was raising my sibs’) before segueing to his concerns about climate change (‘Cause we can't be surprised/ When the oceans do rise/ To tell yourself you'll be okay is to tell yourself lies’). There’s a rare realism (in popular music, that is) at work here; Jurvanen uses the serenity of the lakeside to take on life's ordeals with rejuvenated vigor.
