By Jason M. Rubin

Joe Jackson revisits familiar sounds with sardonic flair and surprising warmth on his most concise, eclectic album in years.

Genre-hopping English musician Joe Jackson is back to his old (and new) tricks with a new album called Hope and Fury, which was released on April 10. His first new album of popular music since 2019’s Fool, the album reunites Jackson with the potent band he assembled for the Fool album and tour: longtime bassist Graham Maby, guitarist Teddy Kumpel, and drummer Doug Yowell – plus Peruvian percussionist Paulo Stagnaro. A modest work structurally (the nine songs consume only about 35 minutes of listening time in total), the music within seems both a mélange of every style he’s covered in his 47-year career and a whole new sound. What definitely remains from his days as a young New Wave lion is a decidedly jaded view of the world and all the laughably imperfect people who occupy it.

Jackson explains that the album was influenced by his “bicoastal” life, spent going back and forth between his hometown of Portsmouth and New York City, though most of the songs seem to be focused on the current state of England. As for the music, he describes it as “LatinJazzFunkRock.” For the opening track, “Welcome to Burning By Sea,” you might add a touch of House music to the description. Burning By Sea is a fictional English seaside town that stands in for his hometown and serves as the target for his geopolitical viewpoints. To Jackson, the locale is “a terminal town made of marble and rust” that is a “bloody place to be.” The song is Jackson’s postcard from there.

Other highlights include “I’m Not Sorry” with its echoes of Jackson’s brilliant 1982 album, Night and Day, which showed his fascination for New York City’s multi-ethnic downtown music scene. The song itself demonstrates that Jackson’s attitude remains confrontational and not at all contrite: “Hello cruel world, I’m not going away/So I might as well have my say,” he sings with smug and sarcastic pride.

The singer of the toe-tapping ballad, “Made God Laugh,” is a gentler Joe, dishing out life lessons with empathy, not vitriol. The lines “You made God laugh when you told him your plans” and “You made God laugh when you made your demands” are sprinkled matter-of-factly over his lovely acoustic piano figures. Kumpel and Maby play together beautifully in the instrumental section.

The melodic hook of “Do Do Do” sounds to these old ears like an exact replica of the Clash’s “Spanish Bombs.” It’s too similar to be merely a coincidence. Maybe it’s a nod to the band or to ska, but it does tend to take you out of the song, which is kind of goofy yet catchy enough that you’d definitely dance to it if your host played it at a party.

One of the deeper songs is “Fabulous People,” about a boy named Billy who is questioning his urges and, after seeing the rainbow flag, wondering where he belongs. Jackson, never shy about taking on sexual identity in song, doesn’t mince words: “Soon Billy was like a kid in a makeup store/He had to get away/Especially because Sodom-on-Sea was the place he headed for/Happy, glad, and gay.” The irony is that Billy thinks this is the path to eternal bliss. Seemingly unaware of the difficulties he might face as a gay man, he asks, in the super catchy chorus, “Can I be one of the fabulous people/Always fun and never scared/I tried being myself, but no one cared.”

Jackson, an avowed fan of Steely Dan, plows their cool jazz-pop fields in “The Face” (as in, “face in the crowd”). The swinging arrangement includes solid piano and guitar solos, fueled by a funky rhythm section. “End of the Pier” – at five-and-a-half minutes, easily the longest song here – is a jaunty track with notable percussion parts, over which the singer looks back at his hometown: the things that have changed, people who have died, and the things that remain timeless and pay homage to one’s memories.

The album ends on a mellow note with “See You in September,” a wistful ballad that one can clearly hear Frank Sinatra or Andy Williams singing. It adds to the musical diversity of the album, which fans will recognize as being different enough to maintain Jackson’s modus operandi as a musical adventurer yet familiar enough to feel like an old friend.

Jackson is heading out on a major North American tour starting in May, which will extend into Europe in September. In total, he will perform 80 shows across 14 countries, including four dates in New England in July: Uptown Theater in Providence, RI, on July 10; State Theatre in Portland, ME, on July 11; Chevalier Theatre in Medford, MA, on July 14; and Palace Theatre in Stamford, CT, on July 15.

Jason M. Rubin has been a professional writer for 40 years. He has written for The Arts Fuse since 2012. His books include SHORTS: A Sizable Collection of Short Fiction (2025); Villainy Ever After (2022), a collection of classic fairy tales told from the villains’ point of view; and Ancient Tales Newly Told (2019), a pairing of two historical romances, one set in 17th-century England and the other in Biblical Jerusalem and Sheba. Jason also teaches journaling workshops. He holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Learn more at https://jasonmarkrubin.wixsite.com/jasonmrubin.com.