Ten tracks (plus one bonus remix) of eclectic and eccentric jazz, blues, rock and funk.  Recorded in 2015, remastered and reissued with extra tracks in 2019.

The digital download from Bandcamp also includes an 8-page lyric booklet in PDF format.

Track by Track:

01 – The Age Of Human Error –Inspired by a quote from Florence King, who complained that modern Americans were “asleep at the wheel” and “living in the age of human error”. But who says the age of human error is such a bad thing?

02 – Don’t Want to Choose –For all who welcome the non-binary shades of grey and delight in eating their cake and having it too.

03 – A Falling Tree –Dedicated to the underground army of creative people who produce art not for fame, profit or even attention, but because it’s who they are and what they do.

04 – Yourself –Inspired by a number of selfless individuals I’ve known who will give their all for everyone and deserve permission to suit themselves more often.

05 – Let Go From The Get Go (Everybody Wants To Be Somebody) –A funk jam on the futility of trying too hard to please others.

06 – Idiot –A two-finger salute to bullies, homophobes, racists, bigots and all they represent.

07 – Macho Mouth –A solo guitar blues based on the old standard Mama Don’t Allow, inspired by an annoyingly tenacious gay stalker I once had.

08 – P.T.S.U.C. –The tale of an abused child.

09 – Life As A Tourist –Notes from a world of people searching for a life that will better co-operate with their understanding of How Things Should Be.

10 – The Happy Fool (Not Going To Fake Anymore) –Being culturally adventurous is all good and well, but might it be easier to just give up fighting and subscribe to all the bland comforts of the mainstream?

11 – Let Go From The Get Go (Sola Sulcus Remix) – Lest we forget. A groove and chorus remix/reprise.

BONUS TRACKS ON THE 2019 REMASTER EDITION:

12 – No Such Word As Impossible – A funk yarn inspired by a story I remembered from a school assembly, about an allegedly “wise man” who cut the word “impossible” out of his dictionary. This demo recording came in my “no fixed abode-a-wee” period around 2011-2014, when I was recording on a laptop wherever I happened to be.

13 – Rainbow Round (An Experiment) – also from the No Fixed Abode-a-wee period (specifically around 2013 for this one), this was basically a stress test to see what my little laptop and dynamic mic setup could cope with. The track features many, many layered and overlapping vocal parts, two complete multitracked drumkits, guitars, basses, synths and orchestral arrangements built up from individual midi instrument parts.

Written, performed and produced by Kerrry Jackson-Kay

Cover image “Die Hexe Mit Eule Radierung” by Heinrich Vogeler (1895)

Produced over a two year period, Human:Beautiful has been through numerous reboots and re-recordings as I worked to decide on a cohesive production sound while working through some traumatic personal issues – what I have ended up with is a sound incorporating jazz and acoustic performances with huge electronic arrangements exploring the full emotional range of the misfit life, coming through depression, anxiety and finding the will to be yourself.

Human:Beautiful Track by track:

Click title to view lyrics

01 Human:Beautiful – a harmony acappella chant by way of introduction and foreshadowing of things to come.

02 Never Been Rich/Never Been Bored – an uptempo jam with a Lust For Life type groove and a quirky approach to mid-life reflection.

03 Sunlight In The Heart Of The Machine – with a title inspired by a vision of an oppressive industrial environment punctuated by a beam of sunlight coming through a crack in the ceiling, this is symphonic alt-rock with the message that, no matter how harsh and oppressive those in charge may be, this is still a world worth fighting for.

04 Arrested For Smiling – faux big band jazz with sneaky time signature changes and satirical lyrics on the inevitability of distrust. The production notes for this one included the phrase “make the piano explode”.

05 Be True – A stirring electro-pop anthem for the misunderstood, downtrodden and generally hard done by.

06 Edith Alone – A raw vocal performance to bare guitar and piano accompaniment tells the tale of a fierce, deluded and abandoned matriarch with topical political allegories.

07 Parallel – An industrial pop piece on dreams and the detailed worlds therein.

08 Really Down Day – an electronic blues jam exploring depression, anxiety and the battle to overcome.

09 Lottery Of Birth – originally written for the National Theatre of Scotland’s Songs Of A New Gendernation album and Beyond The Binary symposium, this is 80s style electro funk with big harmonies and a statement about refusing to be limited by gender stereotypes.

10 Quiet Time – a soft piano instrumental, a moment of calm.

11 I Am (Human:Beautiful) – defiant, operatic and with a new wave rock style inspired by the likes of The Stranglers, XTC and Toyah, this is a new, completely re-recorded version of the 2016 single that began the working cycle leading to this album.

All songs written, composed, performed and produced by Kerry Jackson-Kay

Artwork by Lasergun Lapwing