2020 didn't pan out quite the way
Ondara had hoped. The Kenya-born, Minneapolis-based singer and songwriter was enjoying a great 2019 when his debut album,
Tales of America, was nominated for a Grammy and he was sharing stages with the likes of
Neil Young,
the Lumineers, and
Lindsay Buckingham. Then the new year came around, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and despite having a second LP ready to go, he couldn't play out to support it and wasn't sure when the time would be right to bring it out. In
Ondara's case, the boredom and frustration of self-quarantining led to a burst of inspiration, and 2020's
Folk n' Roll, Vol. 1: Tales of Isolation is composed of 11 songs he wrote and recorded at home. This is very much an album of its moment, and most of the songs deal explicitly with the tensions of life during a time when death is literally in the air and distance and loneliness are the consequences of survival. "Mr. Landlord" is sung in the angry, plaintive voices of people struggling to pay their bills as they've been put out of work, "Pulled Out of the Market" speaks of low-wage workers not deemed essential in the crisis, "From Six Weeks Away" and "Lockdown on Date Night Tuesday" ponder love during a time when getting too close can put your intended in mortal danger, "Isolation Anonymous" documents the internal chaos of an alcoholic trapped without liquor or a support system, and "Isolation Boredom Syndrome" deals in the ugly self-doubt that comes with too much time and too few worthwhile things to do (complete with an apology to Mom for dropping an F-bomb).
Ondara is a thoughtful, literate songwriter with a keen eye, a compassionate viewpoint, and a strong, lyrical voice, and
Folk n' Roll, Vol. 1: Tales of Isolation plays like a set of journal entries as much as an album. These are spontaneous missives from a man in the midst of strange and terrifying times, and emotionally they hit hard, trading in themes that can't help but be familiar to anyone who was alive and aware during 2020, reporting an ongoing story with wisdom and a great heart. ~ Mark Deming
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