John Ferullo - Changes (2024)

“Turnpike Road” sets the tone for the 14 song album, and the song is about songwriters and pickets, and it sounds for all the world like an old John Prine song: “sing me one more chorus Alan, I like the story you are tellin’, I like the flowing of the melody/ if I could work out one more rhyme and work out the picking time, that’d be good enough for me.” Just beautiful.

John could do a mic drop after sharing the first song and that song alone would already be something to be immensely proud of. But there’s more, a lot more. The title track is the second song, and the keyboard organ sounds carries on support quietly behind the picked melody, “it’s a quiet, grey afternoon late in the fall / winter’s coming all too soon, hard changes for us all…. I’ll still be there beside you, just waiting for spring.” Exhale, and sigh.

“Long Ago” highlights John’s raw authentic vocal tones “my heart’s turned from helium to lead…” with thoughtful acoustic guitar and gang vocal harmonies. “Jerusalem Blues” takes a slightly darker turn: “the lights are out in the town again, I’m hiding under the stairs” and it’s a war zone with collateral damage taking is hideous toll.

“Headed West” lets light fiddle bring us back up again to a summer sky: “I’m headed west, the morning train, god knows where, ain’t coming back again.” “Winds of Change” is back to John’s core strength – introspective unhurried songs with the barest minimum of instrumentation: “fallin’ leaves… summer’s gone, and you’re still here, wind blows from the north, get your coat … it just means snow’s coming fast.” “Driving Alone” is the reflective: “driving alone, me and the stars, the moon, Orion, Venus and Mars / driving alone, radio on, listening to Cohen, singing along.” Great stuff. This album is 14 songs of authenticity, closing with “The Embers” – about the familiarity of stepping into a dive bar with its plastic bar stool covers amidst a shuffly beat with organ.

John Ferullo has created a wonderful album here of serious in-depth and emotionally resonant songwriting. The acoustic guitar playing is fluidly plucked, seasoned, and gloriously melodious.