The New Oldies: #8 Album of the Year 2022: Julian Lennon – Jude

Something seems to be missing these days. It seems that record companies, radio stations, and streaming services are pushing some the great established musicians to the background. As a result these veteran artists are not getting the attention they deserve. Enter the Top 10 Album Countdown: The New Oldies. The main point is simple – to make this list you must have at least 20 years of producing established music. The album by the artist must have been released between November 1st, 2021 and October 31st, 2022.

#8 Julian Lennon – Jude

In 1984, the late John Lennon’s oldest son, Julian burst on the music scene with his debut album, Valotte. As fast as Julian’s success was, it came crashing down when his 1986 second album, The Secret Value of Daydreaming flopped. While there some minor moments of success following that 1986, Julian would never achieve the initial success of Valotte. This would include Julian leaving the music industry for some extended periods of time including turning to photography and filmmaking. 2022 would see Julian release his first album in 11 years, and second album in 23 years. The album is called Jude, and while it didn’t generate commercial success, it might be Julian’s best work since Valotte.

The name of the album does touch on the lineage that Julian has to his father’s band the Beatles. The name Jude is famous from the 1968 song Hey Jude. In that song, it was originally called Hey Jules, and it was written by Paul McCartney to comfort a young Julian Lennon after his father left Julian’s mother Cynthia for Yoko Ono.

Jude is about Julian Lennon embracing his past, yet at the same time looking ahead to the future. The album does a great job reminding the audience of his Beatles lineage. At the same time, it shows Julian carving his own path. This comes through on almost every track. In the past Julian has written his own songs. He didn’t write any of the songs or music on Jude, but instead he focuses on the vocals here. As co-producer with his longtime collaborator Justin Clayton, the strategy works.

The album cover features a picture of a young Julian Lennon. Julian Lennon will turn 60 years old this year, and the songs in this collection reflect the a more mature Julian Lennon.

Julian was never going to duplicate what he did on his debut Valotte ever again. Track like Save Me, Every Little Moment, and Lucky Ones show he can still deliver an excellent performance. In this case, Jude was just was the doctor ordered here and from a quality standpoint, this is some excellent music.