Joe Jackson Hope And Fury 2026

Jackson is often called a stylistic chameleon, and indeed he has dabbled in jazz, jazz-pop, classical, jump blues, English music hall, and movie soundtracks. But the vast majority of his work has been his bread and butter, pop-rock. He rode in on the new wave with his 1979 debut Look Sharp!, and he has produced some 28 studio and live albums in the last four and a half decades. His Steely Dan-esque jazz-pop Night And Day from 1982 was his biggest hit. He has toured regularly behind almost every release, always puts on a good live show, and is generally well-received in the press. Why he hasn't sold more records is beyond me, but every one of his stylistic diversions most likely turned off a portion of his audience.

This one is not a diversion, it is straight up pop-rock with smart lyrics, solid tunes, a crack ace band, and Jackson's solid vocals. I'm Not Sorry, Made God Laugh, Fabulous People, After All This Time and End Of The Pier are all highlights, but the whole record is a good listen straight through. It compares well to Big World, Blaze Of Glory, Laughter And Lust, and Volume 4. 

If you haven't heard those, where have you been? Maybe you gave up after his late-nineties non-pop outings. Check this new one out, and when you realize you gave up on Jackson too soon, go back to his catalog. There's plenty of smart song craft available there.