Posted on: February 3, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

It is really surprising that the Jackdawg disc remained unreleased for such a long period of time. This is due to the fact that the members of Jackdawg were some of the members of the best known rock bands of the last fifty years. The members of the act are linked to acts as diverse as CCR, Van Morrison, and even Eikichi Yazawa. With a set of recordings that get close to twenty years old at points, one would expect that the fifteen cuts on the self-titled album would sound weak or dated.

This is simply not the case, as tracks like “Bayou Rebel”, “Ghost Dance”, and “Lookin’ For Trouble” sound as crisp and as clear as current releases in the rock genre. For my money, I would actually prefer the work of a Jackdawg because they actually have gotten a capable producer to work the album into something truly visionary, without forcing every one of the instrumental and vocal tracks into the red. While diehard fans of the work that these three individuals have crafted over the last twenty years are apt to claim that the work of their prior act – Southern Pacific – is better than what is captured here, I would have to say that this sert of recordings shows a more mature outlook and a more varied approach to the creation of amazing music.

The eclectic “Relentless” is a perfect example of it, as John, Keith, and Stu unite to craft something that is truly greater than their individual parts. I would have loved to see Jackdawg live based on the tracks here; “The Girl From Oz” just begs to be played in a live setting; perhaps Sonic Past can dig up some live materials and release them as a sort of companion to the self-titled disc here. The music may be twenty years old, but the spirit and drive that is present during each of the disc’s tracks speaks to the entirety of humanity, no matter what genre or style of music they may currently be listening. Kudos to the component parts of the act, as well as Sonic Past, for creating such an amazing release.

Top Tracks: I Couldn’t Help Myself, The Girl From Oz

Rating: 8.4/10

Jackdawg – S/T / 2009 Sonic Past / 15 Tracks / http://www.jackdawg.net

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