'“Saints and Relocations' is a solid effort by locals & Me. Sometimes this album has a Beatles take, a little Pet Sounds, a little Grateful Dead and a little Polyphonic Spree. Beautiful soundscapes, mixture of harmony, easy vocals. Head bopping, and a nice banjo mixes it up. Accessible, but goes in different directions. Give it a listen, and hopefully catch them live in the area some time." — Robert Fulton, On Tap Magazine

...Johnston has obviously decided to take his cues from some of his favorites and greats. While any modern musician must admit to taking cues from The Beatles, & Me have found a way to successfully mold some of the psychedelic ideals of the 60s to some of the more modern leanings or artists like the New Pornographers, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Brendan Benson. You can’t help but to hear the obvious influence of fellow Oklahomans, The Flaming Lips, with some of the interesting layering and musical effects that Johnston has applied to & Me’s tunes....Saints and Relocations is filled with many instruments, influences, and genres. Johnston mixes both traditional drum work with fingers snapping, hands-clapping, and other more eclectic forms of percussion that mixes with his upright base to form a base for some of the prettier melodies I’ve heard in a while. Saints and Relocations drifts from the Spanish-vibed “Farewell to Simeon (St. Simeon pt. 2)” to songs with blue-grass roots (”The Photographer” and “Eastern Wings”). Johnston makes the transitions seem effortless and natural, and each song brings new surpises to a listener’s virgin ears.

As CD Baby commentator Andy White says,

'It’s a mature sound, a mature artist at work, and each track is crafted so that the music is interconnected in one’s subconscious. A story is told without having to resort to hackneyed clichés, and it is one that you want to hear again and again…The music wails, twists and turns, hanging almost in the wind — you’re just not sure of the direction that it will head next. And that is good. So often we are faced with cookie cutter, heard-it-all-before efforts from popinjays and pretenders at large, but this is special if only for the fact that it is exactly what we have wanted to hear, we just didn’t know what to ask for.'

With this debut record, Johnston has done what not many artists are not able to do: express the joy of creating, and capture its very essence. Many records feel painfully crafted and re-crafted to fit an artist’s image of what “it” is supposed to be. Jeff doesn’t seem to be occupied with any of that (not to say his craft is lacking, it’s not), instead he is more concerned with doing 'it.'

Find 34-minutes of your time, preferably on a bright sunny day in the green of the country somewhere, and play this little record. You won’t be disappointed."

Thank you much Hoodrat, Andy, and all at 9cherries! You can read the entire write-up here: Review