This is one of those cds that you listen to a few times and the next time you hear one of the songs (for me in particular the first two), without realizing what it is at first you think - Man, I love this song! Then you realize it's from the new cd you bought and you smile. That's when you know you've found good music - when it only takes a few times of hearing it for it to become a favorite!
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"The first song on Jon Shain’s new disc, a cover of Tom Petty’s “Time to Move On,” is a pretty fair indicator of what you get with Shain. Which is not to say Tom Petty, mind you, but a Wildflowers-era mix of fingerpick blues, gentle-yet-wry lyricism, and more than a little bit of warmth—in other words, comfy as the old G.I. castoff and thrift-store favorite referenced in the title. The sixth release on his own Flyin’ Records (named after Shain’s old duo Flyin’ Mice), Winter sees the North Carolinian moving in more of a Randy Newman direction, and frankly, it looks rather good on him. Subtle accordion, nylon-string guitar, dobro and grand piano all share in the mix with Shain’s trusty (if rusty) Silvertone acoustic here, and the result, more often than not, is golden."

--Timothy Davis, Harp Magazine (July 2007)
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"Jon Shain is proof that singer/songwriters with brilliant acoustic fingerstylings and insightful lyrics are still around and going strong. Shain's Army Jacket Winter is an array of stories about love and restlessness, backed by acoustic/electric guitars, accordion and dobro. Fans of Keb Mo, Jimmy Buffett and Randy Newman will dig Shain's mood on this album. "

--Kathleen Wehle, Southeast Performer Magazine, Atlanta, GA (July 2007)
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Jon Shain is new to my ears, but Army Jacket Winter (Flyin') is his fifth album to date.

The first person that came to mind while hearing him was Jeff Tweedy, that honesty and upfront feeling of a voice, guitar, and a harmonica, nowhere to run but into your consciousness. Many of his songs are about emotion, whether those he feels, or observing the world and wondering what the next man or woman is feeling. This is evident in pieces such as "Another Month Of Mondays", "To Rise Again" (a song about a post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans), and "Throne Of Gold", where the passion in his voice, the lyrics, and his playing is enough to make you want to open a bottle and drink your miseries away.

Is Swain a depressing songwriter, not at all, but that tradition of writing blues-influenced lyrics with country and folk compassion is what makes his songs work. It's honest and to the point, it will make you want to yell out loud "Yes Jon Shain, I know exactly what you mean." Shain deserves to be heard, and I hope he will continue doing this for many years to come.
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