American Love Call

American Love Call doesn’t celebrate love so much as interrogate it.

Jones bemoans getting the runaround on “Circles.” The song’s baroque strings and gentle flute evoke the 1970s soul family Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, but Aaron Frazer’s lilting drums point to Otis Redding and Carla Thomas' "Tramp," adding a little flash. On “Walk Away,” Jones fights against confessing his true feelings, even though he knows his silence will mean losing his potential paramour, an outcome that’s just as distressing.

For “Listen to Your Heart,” the struggle morphs into advice: “Your heart’s tryna tell you what you already know,” he sings, his voice softening to a scouring whisper. “Tell him that you love him.” A solitary French horn sounds a fanfare—or a warning. 

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Pitchfork