While much of Jon22’s work finds its sweet spot somewhere between indie rock, chamber pop and ’70s AOR, “Lips Like Sugar” taps into what first inspired Jon Berman to pick up a guitar in the first place. Backed by a cast of Dallas music-scene veterans that includes connections to the Polyphonic Spree, Salim Nourallah, the Deathray Davies and others, he reworks Echo & The Bunnymen’s late-’80s classic into something that feels both reverential and of-the-moment. The focus track is a peek into Jet, the forthcoming album from the late-blooming singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
“The stuff I write is generally super mellow, like Bread meets Dark Side Of The Moon,” says Berman. “But I do like to rock out on occasion. The band is always clamoring, ‘Berman, can we at least play something midtempo for God’s sake?’ We also do a killer version of ‘Suedehead’ and the Cars’ ‘Candy-O.’ These are songs I loved singing when I was growing up, and they were eventually the reason I started writing, recording and playing guitar.”
We’re proud to premiere Jon22’s cover of “Lips Like Sugar.” Look for the self-released Jet on Aug. 22.
—Hobart Rowland
