Stereo Embers’ TRACK OF THE DAY: John Douglas’ “Johnsburgh, Illinois”

John Douglas has been quietly racing towards the end of 2024 riding a discernible winning streak.

On the heels of the release of his debut solo album and headlining tours across the U.K. and the U.S., the Trashcan Sinatras’ guitarist has followed all that up with the Still Or Sparkling EP, a four-song collection that further makes the case that Douglas is one of the most affecting artists on the planet.

Not only that, but he’s also one of the most intuitive interpreters of modern song as well. His album featured a moving cover of Prefab Sprout’s “We Let The Stars Go” and Still Or Sparkling checks in with two more; a poignant reading of Van Morrison’s “Across The Bridge Where The Angels Dwell” and a breathtaking version of Tom Waits’ “Johnsburgh, Illinois.”

Recorded at the Perth Creatives Exchange side stair corridor in an attempt to capture sound in a natural setting where the acoustics are the most resonant, Douglas’ take on the Swordfishtrombones composition is spare, evocative and unreasonably rich. When Douglas sings: “She grew up on a farm there/There’s a place on my arm where I’ve written/Her name next to mine,” he does so with such sonorous finesse, it elegantly reveals the battered beauty of the composition with heart-stopping precision.

Douglas will next perform on January 17 at Glasgow’s Cottiers Theatre at the Celtic Connections Festival.

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