lambchops's Full Review: Hi My Name Is Jonny by Jonny Polonsky
Try as he may, young Jonny Polonsky can't slap together a decent pop song. Of course, this opinion was not a popular one among critics or hipsters upon his debut in 1996. I remember the hype from those years ago well. But in retrospect, I can’t understand for the life of me what it was all about.
Certainly, Polonsky does make pop music unlike most of what American artists offer. But there are so many better examples of truly great pop out there that I cannot recommend this particularly banal singer-songwriter. His rise to and from relative obscurity was a result of bludgeoning Frank Blank with his demo tapes. Black was sufficiently impressed, and got the 22-year old a record deal with American and produced his first album.
You’d think that with all of the hype paired with Black’s appreciation, Polonsky would be something more than moderately talented. Unfortunately, he is not. Much of the Illinois native recorded is repetitive, boring, and lacks motivation. Pop can be great (as evidenced by the stars of the Brit-pop and alt-pop movements), this is not.
Hi My Name is Jonny hit shelves in January 1996. Polonsky was lauded by The San Francisco Examiner that stated: "Jonny Polonsky has come up with a debut album to rival all debuts. Track for track, Polonsky's songs stick in the brain--every one a completely turned-out gem." I couldn’t agree less, upon hearing most of these tracks they are immediately forgettable and lack the “stickiness” of the bulk of the albums from Matthew Sweet, the Posies, and many other contemporaries. But I don’t want to be completely negative about Polonsky. He does have a knack for slapping together a catchy melody, unfortunately they are not unique and are instead clearly derivative of his many early pop and rock influences.
Hi My Name is Jonny does have something positive going from it—it is very short at just ten tracks in length and clocks in at under twenty-five minutes. There is a theme throughout of heartbreak told in a way that brings back memories of adolescence. This sheer, light triteness doesn’t lend itself well to the music. I’d have much appreciated if Polonsky explored more than a few emotions and ideas. Heck, I could have dealt better had he written and sung about anything else. There are a few songs that are often pointed at as the album’s supposed best
The immediate embrace offered up to Polonsky seems to have been caused by his ties to Black paired with the tendency for critics to jump on bandwagons and feel guilty for trashing a debut. I have no such personality quirks. I can admit that I like certain kinds of pop, I can admit that Polonsky has the ability to put together a catchy pop song. But I cannot by any means say that this album is at all representative of his probable talent. It is just too short, too meek, and too repetitive for my taste buds.
A few songs are pointed at as Polonsky’s best. Love Lovely Love, Truly Ugly and Dead Too, In My Mind and Gone Away are the likeliest of suspects. Love Lovely Love is certainly the album high point, even for me. Unfortunately, it is also the first song—thus negating the purpose of actually assembling an album. The melody is hip and anxious, Polonsky’s voice sounds great. It is an overall pretty decent track that could have been incredibly popular given the right timing.
Unfortunately, the nine songs that follow are pretty disappointing. Truly Ugly and Dead Too is much too short to even make a decision on the quality. Though, I have to say that I’m not keen on the fact that Polonsky clearly uses the jangle-pop perfected by Matthew Sweet before him. In My Mind is fine enough, but by the time this song kicks in it is crystal clear that Polonsky is a one trick pony. His songs all sound the same musically and vocally.
A few tracks seem pretty roughshod. Evil Scurvy Love and It’s Good To Sleep involved little thought. It is with these tracks that Polonsky’s musical virginity shines through most painfully. Half Mind and Uh-Oh on the other hand try something slightly new, with the tiniest bit of new wave infusion. It doesn’t work for me. In fact, little Polonsky did on his release rubs me the right way.
Polonsky lost his deal with American soon after the album was released. It took him literal years to find a new label and didn’t even churn out any new material until 2001’s There Is Something Wrong With You. That album did not do anything to bolster his career. It was largely ignored, and critics weren’t so quick to laud Polonsky. Whether or not he will be able to ever be a better than average performer is highly questionable. I can hope he will be, as his story is something of a Cinderella variety. I’d like him to be, but his writing and recording has to get a heck of a lot better before that comes to fruition.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Love Lovely Love
02. Truly Ugly and Dead Too
03. In My Mind
04. Evil Scurvy Love
05. Gone Away
06. Down Low
07. Half Mind
08. It's Good to Sleep
09. I Don't Know What to Dream at Night
10. Uh-Oh
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