'Dreaming of Daniel' Album Review ~ Alan Monnelly ~ THE GOO

Dreaming of Daniel ~ Jerry Fish feat. MayKay

Album review by Alan Monnelly

To honour a collection of songs, in particular, songs by a special and vital counterculture artist like Daniel Johnston in the right way, there are a number of attributes that the artists taking on that honour and challenge need to have.

The first is sensitivity, they need to put themselves in the shoes of the creator so that they can get a sense of where these songs originate and how they develop, where they fit in to the emotional timeline of the artist and just what the song is trying to communicate.

Jerry Fish steps into the role that Johnston did so naturally. As the cartographer of the heart, his delivery of these highly emotive songs is more vocally consistent than the tentative originals but the beauty and effervescence of Johnston’s lyrics shines in every perfect song.

MayKay proves again that she is an artist of giftedness and her version of ‘Some Things Last A Long Time’ along with Jerry Fish is a breathtaking showstopper such is its poignant delivery of one of Johnston’s most erudite songs.

One of the great potentials of this stunning album is that it will make people aware of the treasure trove that is Daniel Johnston’s back catalogue, all of which is vital listening for anyone interested in popular music.

Johnston wore his heart on his sleeve like no other. Jerry Fish and MayKay have succeeded with style in capturing his genius.