Young singer-songwriter Jacksonport celebrated Bruce Springsteen’s 71st birthday by releasing a wonderful cover version of his song “Tougher than the Rest.” Jacksonport says it’s his favorite song by the Boss, and also “the most beautiful love song ever written.” He says “The lyrics give us strength while we go through this terribly hard time as a country, world. Those are conch-shells that come in low…Positive energy to ya.”
Jacksonport’s version features a peacefully picked acoustic guitar that takes twists and turns smoothly. The percussion is minimal but perfect for the mood. His voice sits on top of the track, a bit louder than the instrumentation. His voice is smooth and raw, coming across as true and authentic. Even though the lyrics are not his own, Jacksonport transmits emotion making it clear that he feels the lyrics in his soul.
The simple music video features Jacksonport and his partner on a road trip where she falls asleep on his shoulder. It’s extremely endearing. Watch the music video below:
More info on Jacksonport:
“Jacksonport is the solo imagination of musician John Fatum, named for the small town in Door County, Wisconsin where Fatum spent summers growing up. After giving up his Brooklyn, NY apartment in spring 2019, John has been on the road traveling around the United States in his car, Little Nipper, spending his would-be rent money on self- produced recordings. The recordings include synth playing by Julian Pollack (J3P0, The Lesson, Marcus Miller) and electric guitar by Adam Brisbin (Buck Meek, Sam Evian, Cass McCombs) and mixing by Grammy Award Winner Phil Joly (Electric Lady, Common, Lana Del Ray, Daft Punk, The Strokes). Jacksonport releases a new song every month in 2020.” (courtesy of artist)
___
Article written by Ryan Cassata