Search For The Inner Self

Kent Records’ reissue of Search For The Inner Self feels less like a rediscovery and more like a correction. Originally self-financed and pressed in minuscule numbers in 1999, the album has lived in near-myth for years. Now, with its full 1969 Beau Ray Fleming-produced sessions finally gathered for vinyl and CD, Jon Lucien’s earliest work lands with the quiet confidence it always deserved.

The title track, recently spotlighted via Paul Weller’s That Sweet, Sweet Music compilation, sets the tone. It is introspective without being heavy, soulful without excess. From there, Lucien’s songwriting reveals itself in full. ‘Precious Is My Love’, ‘A Heart In Love’, ‘Flower Garden’ and ‘The Season Of Spring’ feel remarkably assured, early sketches that already carry the emotional clarity and melodic instinct that would define his later work.

The selections of cover material are equally telling. ‘Strawberries Don’t Know Cherries’ arrives as a deep cut reimagined with care, while ‘To Love Somebody’ is handled with restraint and respect. ‘Only An Illusion’ stands slightly apart, leaning into Lucien’s more mystical tendencies, a left-field choice that suits his voice and phrasing perfectly.

Elsewhere, Fleming’s contributions anchor the record in a different direction. ‘It’s Bigger Than I’ and ‘We Got Love’ bring a subtle sense of movement, the latter long championed by DJs and given new life here in context. They add balance without disrupting the album’s reflective core.

What emerges is not just an archival release, but a coherent body of work. These recordings capture Lucien at the beginning of his creative arc, already fully formed in instinct if not yet widely recognised. With newly commissioned sleevenotes from Kevin Goins and a long-overdue physical release, Search For The Inner Self now sits where it should have all along. Quietly essential.