It's somewhat hard to believe that Jeremy Gloff isn't a little more well known.  Having released his first recording in 1993 with True Stories, he's managed to release no less than eleven albums.  The latest of these, 2001's America Is Lonely Tonight, contains a very different sound compared to his punked-up records of the mid-90s.  Gloff's songs have a downbeat feel, mixing indie with country and blues influences.  Trakcs like "Zero Self Control Blues" and "Feeling Of Faded" are good examples of this, with Gloff's vocal sounding very similar to those of Interference's lead singer, adding emotions in spades. 

But that doesn't mean Jeremy's incapable of picking up the pace.  "Heroes Cracking" is a rollicking, rocking country tune with a little mandolin for good measure (and let's face it - mandolins rock.)  "Mother Mary" adds yet another aspect to the album.  Reading the lyrics, some might consider it preachy, but what we really have here is a wonderfully deep and moving 'lighters in the air' anthem. 

However, it is first single "Sound Of My Crashing" which quite rightly takes the honour of best track.  Beginning with a catchy guitar and piano intro, it builds towards a tremendous climax before coming back down to earth with not so much a bang,, but a swift fall. 

The album lasts a little over fifty minutes, yet the time flowed by as I was sucked in.  The lyrical and musical content on this record is high, and this music would go down well in front of tobacco-chewing country folk or dirty indie kids alike.  Hell, I could almost forgive the guitar on "One Inch Deep" that sounds like it was stolen from an 80s drama series.  Make sure this man doesn't become his generation's Richard Thompson.
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This is by far the most incredible work to date by Gloff.  Jeremy is a very talented artist who is bound to be discovered.  This album shows a musical growth.  Jeremy went from a punk kid in his earlier days of Still Feel It and Heavy Machinery, to a mature adult in America Is Lonely Tonight.  The beauty of the growth is that it is musical and personal.  His music has improved greatly.  He now has a professional sound and you can hear the quality versus earlier work that sounded like a kid who was playing around.  The personal aspect of growth is very parallel.  Jeremy was once a kid who could be pissed off at the world.  Today he accepts what life has brought his way and is able to be grateful for the life he has.  We can all let the hurt of the world take over our lives or we can accept it and learn to deal with it as Jeremy has shown today. 

“…Pretty scary when you start to feel far 
from who you wanna be and who you really are… 
I don’t regret anything that I’ve done 
I just kind of hate what I’ve become…”  - "Forgive Me Jeremy" off of Songs Abbout Stupid People 

This shows someone who hates the world and the person living inside of them.  But then today you can hear a changed person. 

"Feeling Of Faded" off of America Is Lonely Tonight: 
“…Think how lucky I am  most every single day 
My feeling of faded started fading away…” 

     Jeremy Gloff is by far one of the most talented people I know.  The beauty in most arts such as music is that you can find personal meaning rather than only the artist's own meaning.  I am able to find meaning in my own life to all of Gloffs music.  As he now shows, you can be in the dark for what may seem like a lifetime, but eventually you just gotta turn your head to the sun. 
      America Is Lonely Tonight has a great beat.  It draws from all of my emotions and leaves me with an overall feeling of pleasure.  We live in a cruel world that is full of disappointment and hurt but finding your own inner peace is the key as these lyrics may show.  I love every song from this album.  However, my favorites would have to be "The Sound Of My Crashing" and "Sharks".  I love Jeremy Gloff as a musician and a person.  He has touched my life and continues to do so every day.  This is music that I can’t stop listening to and I think anyone who gets a hold of it would feel the same.  I love Gloff!!!!!
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The title is taken from a line in Gloff's opening ode, "Dancetoria," where the sad pensive character reflects, "People fade in twilight, America is lonely tonight, Save me a corner once you're gone."  It's a poignant moment just like so many others during this disk, where Gloff's imagery and poetry mix into an eerie, mystical haze.  With just meager backing and muted guitar, Gloff peels his tunes like ripe fruit, discarding the husk for a few inner truths:  "Supermodels suck their stomachs in, like thinkers do their feelings," "The thirty seconds you gave me, gave me fifty hours of intrigue," "Sharks in the ocean hug goodnight, they back-stabbed or f**ked everybody they hold tight."  Those are the initial expressions that hit us.  There are dozens more.  Rendered in such a deceivingly simple, straight-up troubador-like performance, you nearly miss all of the seductive nuances of backing vocals and interspersed cello (from Virelie/Ashes of Grisum alum Robert Moore).  Early fans of Marc Bolan, Pearls Before Swine, or anyone else that bares their unselfish soul in such a startling, sincere fashion (ie, Tori Amos) will need to hear Gloff's kindred spirit.  (contact: PO Box 291593, Tampa, FL 33687)
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Jeremy Gloff does not write gay anthems. There are no rainbows on the cover of his latest album, America Is Lonely Tonight; and don't expect any of the tracks to pop up on the next Queer As Folk Soundtrack. Still, Jeremy Gloff, is out. His 'wonderfully broken' folk songs speak eloquently about the life of a young man, and not much about his life is kept hidden. 

There is a place in between 'Gay Poster Boy', and 'Gay Closet-Case' which is still pretty difficult for many out artists to inhabit. True artists of course, draw on their own life experience; they write about what they know. And for so long, our lives have been deemed too political, or too controversial, or just plain inappropriate fodder for reflection of the human condition. Maybe that's why we despite the fact we have many gay 'popstars' , we have few gay songwriters. 

Increasingly though, our lives are being valued as part of the diverse web of human experience. Artists like Rufus Wainwright, and now, Jeremy Gloff are on the cutting edge of exposing their own hearts to the world and proving that ANYONE can draw hope, or inspiration, or even beauty from our lives, our stories, and our songs. 

And tell it he does. Jeremy weaves intriguing folk songs about his life, his relationship with his father, his friends, gender roles, and of course sex. America is Lonely Tonight is one of those rare albums, you will appreciate a little bit more each time you play it. As one local reviewer wrote: the quality of the lyrics on this cd are in a league of their own, able to be the most soulful of words without delving into the abyss of self-pity and cliché that so many of the indy acts nowadays do. 

Gloff has long been a favorite of the vibrant Tampa music scene, winning a "Best of the Bay" accolade from Tampa's alternative publication 'Weekly Planet.' And he draws on local talent for much of this album including Susy Martian and Robert Moore from the Band Ashes of Grisum. 

Some of the best songs are this album though, are the simplest ones (some of my favorites are towards the end of the (rather long) album. Just his unique voice, a pounding piano, and those thoughtful lyrics, reflecting on the common yet compelling experiences of a (gay) man named Jeremy Gloff.
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