Christopher Mark Jones

About Looking for the Light (2021)
Christopher Mark Jones’s new record Looking for the Light is a solid testament to his virtues as an artist and a human. Recorded in a year when so many simply wrung their hands while waiting to see what would happen next, this record was impeccably recorded at his home studio and is an intelligent and hopeful and, frankly, cool piece of work. The songs display a great range of mood and musical genre and are delivered with a compassionate and confident voice. As if that wasn’t enough, the musical arrangements are gorgeous. Lucky we are to have CMJ with us on this strange and beautiful ride… Noah Zacharin – singer/songwriter/poet guitarist – latest release A Sparkle of Wings.

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" I just listened to it for the first time today, and it blew me away!  The lyrics are riveting...." Dan Murphy, The Acoustic Outpost, (Hollis, NH) 
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"Christopher Mark Jones is an amazing songwriter and his most recent recording, Looking for the Light, is proof. […] The songs on this album paint an important picture of the reality that confronts our daily lives. " Jon Stein, Hootenanny Café, WTBQ 93.5 FM (Warwick, NY) WGHT 98.3fm (North Jersey, NYC).
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Some songwriters communicate. Jones shares enough of his experiences to guide audiences to their own stories hidden snugly between the lines of his songs. It’s artistry rooted in song craftsmanship, ultimately more about the listener than a singer whose authentic rasp suggests he has lived every moment of every song.

“Looking For the Light” finds it in the slow roll of “Call Back Your Soldiers” and gospel swing of “Your Healing Grace.” Recognizing no musical boundaries, Jones and a dozen solid accompanists squeeze a live vibe into a studio production, particularly on the socially responsible “Slippin’,” worldly “Caravan” and jazz-infused “My Life.”  John Hayes, manager, Pittsburgh Songwriters' Circle

About Incantations (2017)
“With Incantations, Christopher Mark Jones has created an album of songs with captivating lyrics, wide-ranging textures and exquisite instrumentation. The tracks incorporate talented accompanists that, like the mix itself, add layers and depth to the recording while still allowing Christopher's voice, lyrics and intricate guitar-playing to shine through. It's an album that will hold up to repeated plays with listeners likely hearing additional nuances and subtleties with every spin.” Larry Berger, Saturday Light Brigade Radio Productions
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“Incantations is filled with the things that make Christopher Mark Jones a Pittsburgh pleasure – comfortable song settings in tight arrangements, brought to life by The Roots Ensemble and several other contributors, all supporting Jones’ voice as husky and warm as carded wool. Wrapped in those upbeat and familiar sounds are Chris’ musings on commitment, sometimes disappointment, but never regret. Throw in a cooking song rich in sensuality and memory, and a chugging train song, and you have a CD that invites repeated listens and foreshadows great live shows.” 
Brian Junker, SongSpace (UU) concert series organizer and singer/songwriter
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 Christopher Mark Jones is a bonafide storyteller in the mold of the classic folk troubadour.  With Greg Brown's pacing and a Lyle Lovett attitude Jones revels in catchy choruses and solid song structure.  Did I mention guitar hooks that finish sentences?  Case in point is "Lordstown," which deftly follows a rustbelt family through several generations ending in job losses, college debt, and economic insecurity. With "Incantations" Jones lays out a west coast funk inspired groove to underscore a pointed, dark, and self deprecating autobiography of his genealogical and spiritual coming of age as a white male folksinger.  With lines such as, "My mother kept the christmas cards and the titles to our slaves, wrote pentecostal histories in which we all were saved," Jones both indicts his privilege and bears it like a curse which has him singing "these incantations, revelations to no one," where his "only hope of happiness is to step right off this earth."  There is a hopeful romantic streak on this album as well, highlighted by the tender "Field of Dreams."  You'd need to have a heart as cold as a January night on Lake Erie to not feel the warmth of these two lovers.  Its approaching mastery when a writer can manage in three simple verses to invoke the scope and the starkness of a singular love opening to a world and a life of its own. ~Ben Shannon, singer-songwriter (benshannonmusic.com)

About Montréal Encore (French album 2022)
"C’est bien écrit et bien chanté,  c’est varié, ( parfois jazzé , folk, récité, chant…) . Le  poème de la fin , super ! On sent les vibrations de Montréal et de l’amour pour cette ville . Bon succès ! Claudine Bertrand, poète et animatrice, Radio Ville-Marie (Montreal)