Badlands
Jack the Radio
Independent Release , 2016
The smell of pine tar is thick on this disc. It’s not hard to picture pick-up trucks, pit bulls, BBQ, and people who work too hard for not enough, ready to blow off some steam to the sounds of this remarkable record.
There was a time when real rock sounded salty, fresh and strutted with a devil may care attitude because it carried us through long, hard days o’ work on tiny, tinny transistor radios, and well into rowdy nights on seriously taxed PA systems in roadside bars. And it sounded like this.
Jack the Radio pull off a neat trick sounding retro and contemporary at the same time. For too long southern rock has been a parody of itself, forgetting there was more to songwriting than chicks and getting wasted. Jack the Radio are here to remedy this.
The songs here are thoughtful and alternate between dense and spare constructs. A lonesome trumpet heralds an epic event on the opening number, “Bad Man.” The narrator’s internal conflict seems to occupy all his thoughts as he tries to escape his past.
“Wayfared Warrior” and “Moonlight” both have some simply beautiful and lyrical guitar leads reminiscent of the best licks Dickey Betts has ever committed to tape. “Criminals” features the substantial vocal talents of Elizabeth Hopkins. “My Way” is an instant sing-along and has an inviting earthy, warmth to it.
Like the best parts of The Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band, and the criminally overlooked Grinderswitch, Jack the Radio are phenomenal band. They sidestep painful, obvious cliches while still delivering the best elements of the long maligned southern rock genre.
There’s nothing contrived here. No faux hipster posing, just unhurried rock straight outta 1975. Post hippie indulgences and pre-punk overwrought aggression, rock music, at least good rock music, let men know how they felt, because truly it wasn’t a time to share anything with anyone about your inner turmoil. So you’d put on your favorite 8 track and let the music do the talking.