About 20 years ago, Roy Jay put down his guitar and lived a typical unmusical life. Only in the past few years has he started playing again and recording his music. Fairfax Avenue is Jay’s sophomore album, following Lucky Guy in 2009. His gravelly voice, clearly aged with a great deal of life experiences drives this later-in-life album.

The LP starts out strong with “Fatal Mistake”. The chorus is simple but works well with descending phrases that eventually resolve to a comforting tonic. While it’s clearly the strongest track on the album, Jay keeps up the energy throughout with other upbeat tracks, “Robin” and “Not the One.”

 The album falls into an amalgam of categories. There is a strong blues and Americana feel with storytelling tracks like “John Brown” and the use of several female backing vocalists, as well as organ and horn. Tracks likes “Love Seed Mama Jump” have a clear soul sound, whereas tracks like “Movin’ On” have free flowing instrumentals reminiscent of a jam band. This mixture of genres makes for a rather unique but somehow familiar sound.

Despite it’s solid tracks, the record does not have mass appeal. The sound is too specific and will not reach younger crowds. Some listeners will surely find Roy Jay’s voice grating instead of just gravelly. While Fairfax Avenue isn’t a country album, it does contains some of the twang that many anti-country listeners might take issue with. Also, the backing vocals make the album feel retro (which makes sense given the singer’s age) and it lacks a modern push.

Conclusion – While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, those looking for a folk/blues/Americana album might just find a big winner with Fairfax Avenue.