Originally written as a commentary on the Reagan administration, ‘Obvious Reflections’, by Delaware-based guitarist and singer-songwriter JP Reali, gets a new lease on life with its takes on political corruption, endless investigations, religious hypocrisy and racial inequality.
It’s sad to think that a song written about a corrupt government administration 40 years ago could be as relevant today as it was all those years ago, but unfortunately that is the case. After decades of releasing original blues music, JP Reali has come back to that composition from all those years ago, tweaking its lyrics to reflect today’s political concerns.
Growing up in a musical household – Reali’s older sister and younger brother are also musicians – JP first studied piano and saxophone, though his eyes were always set on the guitar. A teacher in the eighth grade showed him his first few chords, and urged his parents to arrange private lessons, which they did. Now, nearly 50 years later down that road, guitar remains JP Reali’s instrument of choice.
Next stop was The Blues, with JPs attention caught by the Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton and the Grateful Dead, leading back to B.B. King, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. This took him to winning the Washington DC Blues Society’s solo Battle of the Bands, not once, but three times, and saw him compete in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Apart from making his own music, JP Reali has worked for 35 years in the music industry, touring as a sound engineer with Nils Lofgren, Sugar Ray and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Additionally, he worked for 23 years at the John F Kennedy Center, before retiring in 2021. After spending nearly 40 years in Washington, he moved to Delaware during the pandemic to concentrate on performing and teaching.
All those years in DC meant that JP Reali was uniquely positioned to comment on the situation in the US government, and ‘Obvious Reflections’ sees him take on political corruption, endless investigations, religious hypocrisy and racial inequality, with environmental destruction and economic concerns also having their say in the lyrics. With clipped phrases and repeated verbal turns, rather than a conventional narrative, the lyrics return time and again to the phrase “Society’s anxiety”. While it was originally written during the Reagan years, the observations he made then have taken on renewed urgency for Reali amid his concerns about individual rights under the current administration.
In deciding to re-visit the song, he had to do more than just retrieve an old recording idea. He updated some of the wording, because he believes the questions it asked about political power are still necessary, and he wants listeners to remember that “we the PEOPLE of this nation have the power to hold elected officials accountable”. Essentially, ‘Obvious Reflections’ is a reminder that accountability is dependent on participation – in other words – GET OUT AND VOTE AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Musically, ‘Obvious Reflections’ also signals a turning point for Reali, and following the release of his EP, ‘Grateful Blues’, back in August, he’s hoping to move away from the Blues, and instead focus on the jam band music that made him what he is.
‘Obvious Reflections’ is accompanied by a music video, directed by Dick Dangham. It incorporates green-screen footage, along with still images, suggesting the National Mall, a setting which Reali envisioned all those years ago. You can watch the music video for ‘Obvious Reflections’ below, and find out more about JP Reali and his music online on his official website, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
