Grammy-winning artist Joe Jackson announces his own return right in the lyrics of one of his new songs: “Hello cruel world / I’m not going away / So I might as well have my say.” Often labeled a musical chameleon, Jackson insists that most of his work belongs to his own “mainstream” – sophisticated pop songs with ever-shifting rhythms and textures. After his playful detour with What a Racket! (a 2023 side project exploring early 20th- century British entertainment and music), he now returns to that core territory. Hope and Fury was recorded between Michael Tibes’ Fuzz Factory in Berlin-Kreuzberg and Reservoir Studios in New York, with co-producer Patrick Dillett (4 Grammy Awards). The album features Jackson’s trusted core lineup: Graham Maby on bass (with Jackson since Look Sharp!), Teddy Kumpel on guitar, and Doug Yowell on drums (both part of the team since Fast Forward, 2015), joined by 2x Grammy winning Peruvian percussionist Paulo Stagnaro. The result, according to Jackson, falls somewhere between Fool (2019), Laughter and Lust (1991), and Night and Day (1982). Nine new songs in total – ranging from biting, witty pop to moving ballads. Living between New York and Portsmouth, Jackson calls himself “bicoastal” – geographically and musically. He describes Hope and Fury as “Bicoastal LatinJazzFunkRock”.