This Sunday, 10th May 2020, I took uninterrupted time to have my first listen of JUNO’s debut album. [10 songs, 27 minutes]
Ashlee Juno, (artist name JUNO), grew up in a religious community in Chicago. She was working for a drug rehabilitation facility when she first picked up a guitar at the age of 23. The reason behind this? She was trying to find a way to connect to a 15-year-old heroin addict, and all he wanted to do was play guitar. He taught her the first chords she ever learnt, and then kept tutoring JUNO until he eventually left the programme. JUNO kept playing guitar, and fast forward a few years, was touring with the likes of Fifth Harmony and Bruno Mars. In recent years, she focused on creating her own music and released her debut album, “Help is Not on the Way”, last month.
The album opens with a short intro. Clashing sounds in a kitchen, running water, sobbing. It sets the scene for something that is not just an album, but a healing process for someone who has experienced and been carrying deep pain for a while. You can visualise the scene as it plays out. JUNO collapses onto the ground, heart beating, muffled words in between sobs, a scream. Enter piano chords, evoking sorrowful emotion, until they’re abruptly cut off.
This sudden cut off leads into the title track, “Help is Not on the Way”, where the piano chords are picked up again. Here we hear a broken yet reflective JUNO. “You know I’ve got some dreams but it seems that I lack the ambition”. She owns up to smoking and drinking, most probably as forms of escapism. Yet at the same time, she’s not ready to give up on herself. She may feel helpless in moments, exhausted even as she sings the line “tryna float but I’m sinking”. Help may not be on the way, it “got stuck at a red light”, but she’s learning to pick herself up in this track. “I better get up now before I go insane”. As the bridge builds, the layered vocals create a chorus like effect, it almost feels like a spiritual ascension. Until it ends abruptly.
A staccato acoustic guitar introduces “Nobody Cares”. The new reggae sound catches you off guard – not dissimilar to the way some realisations in life catch us off guard too. Here, JUNO sounds emotionally detached as she makes a matter of fact statement: “Nobody cares about your tears in Los Angeles, California“. Juno didn’t grow up in LA, she’s from Chicago. I’ve spent a year in LA, and I’m growing up in London. Two cities, both fast paced and busy. Everyone here is usually here for a reason, more often than not, it’s career related. You have many acquaintances you catch up with, many have time to share a drink or a meal, or talk business plans – but your tears are an inconvenience. It’s one of the toughest lessons. You can’t say Juno didn’t warn you.
“Color with me” is one of my personal first-listen stand outs on the album. Before even hearing any lyrics, a ukulele plays. Ukuleles’ have an unmatched ability to immediately convey a carefree, child-like, happy space. As the song plays out, you’ll realise this is exactly what JUNO is describing. ‘I met a young girl’, begins JUNO, and then continues to detail the scene where this young girl is sat colouring with a purple crayon. Anyone who followed a particular girl-group in 2016, will quickly recognise that this track is about her friendship with Camila Cabello. “Her mama reppin Cuba” is where the penny dropped for me, although in hindsight, I should’ve known from “she was eating a banana”. The entire sound and dialogue then make complete sense, knowing Camila. “You can color with me” is her version of you can sit with me. “You ain’t gotta stay in the lines” reflects Cabello’s loving and accepting nature. The song ends with JUNO singing “You’re in my blood, you’re my best bud, color with me”, an ode to Cabello’s hit single “Never be the Same”.
An interlude, “Morning Prayer”, marks the album’s midpoint. It’s a conversation between a mother and adorable sounding toddlers. A beautiful, peaceful but somewhat sorrow guitar riff begins to play in the background. This interlude introduces a new chapter of the album, and briefs us for the next song “Carrying the World”. At this point, it’s safe to say that the progression of this project, and the way the tracks cleverly blend and flow into each other is a stand out.
“Carrying the World” tells the story of that mother and a now grown JUNO. It’s an emotional one, depicting a family doing what they need to in order to survive. “I been asking God could he bless us with a home”, “I was pickin purses in the back, so we’d never lack”. The chorus brings a united feel as JUNO promises “I won’t let you be alone, anywhere we are is home.” JUNO isn’t just doing this for her, she’s doing it for her mother too, who she affirms is a “strong black woman from the day that you birthed us”. A soulful guitar solo plays out the end of this track.
Following up is “Church”. The opening line tells you everything you need to know. “I went to church with a rainbow sock on one leg”. JUNO is now open about her sexuality, however she has spoken out about her difficulties in finding the freedom to accept and be herself. “Church”, lyrically narrated over an acoustic guitar with some twinkling keys, is about her experience of coming out to a community that once embraced her, (“I used to belong here, I used to fit right in”), and now think she is “a sin”. Regardless of this, there doesn’t seem to be any hard feelings on JUNO’s behalf. If anything, it sounds like she’s hoping everyone can learn to open their hearts. JUNO keeps her faith as she repeats “Jesus, can you work it out?” in a bridge where the guitar gets heavier and once again we hear layered vocals creating a rising chorus, similar to what we first heard in the title track. The last line is a whispered yet powerful “Jesus, I’m worth it”. JUNO belongs and she knows it.
In true fandom etiquette, JUNO’s fans are affectionately known as Junebugs, and she has a song, well an anthem, dedicated to them. “Junebugs Anthem” is reminiscent of music classroom days, where you would clap, stomp your feet and slap down on tables to create a beat, and then collectively sing and harmonise. No instruments, but there’s a real uplifting energy. JUNO empowers her fans, reminding them “you can do anything, we can do anything”.
Second to last is “Oh Diane”. Up until this point, the album has been keys and guitars. This track introduces a new element both sonically and conceptually. Sonically, it’s a trumpet, I believe. It adds a jazzy tone. “Oh Diane” almost sounds like a thank you letter to a kindred spirit that JUNO has found, and together they have created this safe bubble of happiness. “You make the pain go away” she tells Diane. JUNO confirms it is in fact a trumpet and again whispers a heart-warming “thank you” at the end. It reaffirms what the intro suggested, JUNO has been through pain, she’s had her lows, been burnt, but her heart remains soft and she still believes in the power of love.
“Our legends are dying” closes out this 10-track project. Sonically, this track would not feel out of place on The Lion King soundtrack which for me personally, is one of the most uplifting soundtracks to ever exist. It’s only fitting that one of the lines is “Elton John said ‘love is love’ like 20 years ago”, amongst other lines that shout out various musical icons. Percussion, hopeful piano chords and key changes all contribute to make a track that keeps building. This is another personal favourite of mine.
“Help in not on The Way” is an excellent example of an album with great progression, taking listeners on a journey. The abrupt endings in the first couple of tracks felt like a representation of the healing process – periods of hope interrupted by sudden lows. JUNO shows growth, taking her struggles and pain, transforming it into something beautiful. Minimal production and a stripped back, acoustic sound allows you to really take in JUNO’s words. A wise friend once told me, “Life has seasons. Seasons of growth, seasons of prosperity, seasons of hurt, unfortunately. So no matter what season you’re in, that too shall pass”. JUNO’s debut album feels like a run through of these seasons, but by the end she’s finding her peace and happiness.
Check out the album here.
Follow Ashlee Juno on twitter here.
As for me, pester me with your life or musical thoughts by tweeting @steph_santos. Stay safe!
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