Welsh vocalist Judith Owen has spent her career digging up the lesser-known gems of jazz and blues and giving them new life, and her latest album, “Suit Yourself” continues exactly that project. Owen grew up in London in a household steeped in classical music, ballet, and the jazz records her parents kept on the shelves – artists like Julia Lee, Blossom Dearie, and Nellie Lutcher sitting alongside Oscar Peterson and Jelly Roll Morton. That upbringing became her mission: to find the songs that deserved more than they got and do them justice. “Mind Is On Vacation” is a Mose Allison classic, and Owen’s choice to include it on “Suit Yourself” isn’t arbitrary. As she puts it, the song speaks directly to what’s going on in politics right now – the endless talking, the absence of meaning, the apparent freedom from any obligation to tell the truth. She calls it one of the greatest songs about narcissism ever written. It’s also, she notes, smart, funny, and catchy as hell. Joining her on the track is Joe Bonamassa, whose guitar work needs little preamble.
Musically, this song, like all songs under the blues tradition, is all about the storytelling aspect of music and the nuance of the performance of all the musicians participating here. The rhythm section of keyboard, drums, and bass is really locking down that beautiful bluesy swing that enables Judith to have so much freedom and swagger in her vocal performance as she delivers the truth. Of course, Joe Bonamassa needs no introduction – his playing is legendary and serves the song tastefully here. Judith’s performance oozes power not because it’s loud or overpowering the other instruments, but it oozes power in the sense that she has control over every bit of the performance. It has that incredibly charming confidence, which serves the song’s narrative very well, as it’s about putting someone with a big mouth in their place.
Mose Allison wrote “Mind Is On Vacation” decades ago, and it has never been less relevant than it is right now, which is either a damning commentary on human nature or a testament to how good the song is – probably both. Owen’s version slinks rather than stomps, letting the lyric do the damage while the band holds steady underneath her. The political subtext she brings to it gives the track an additional edge without the song ever needing to announce it. Owen is currently taking “Suit Yourself” across Europe and the US through the rest of 2026, with sold-out Swiss dates already behind her and upcoming slots at Love Supreme Festival and Umbria Jazz. If this track is any indication of what the full album delivers, those rooms are in for a treat.