Jackie Greene’s fourth album, released March 14th, 2006, did not disappoint. In fact, it was shockingly good, despite the fact that he’d been touring the songs for nearly a year. Songs that were amazing live are taken to seemingly unreachable heights. It’s a new style for Greene, who in the past, recorded solo and simplistically. American Myth strikes a chord as a collective group effort, complete with overdubs and stereo sound. With this it becomes one of those definitive “headphone records” in which the sensation grows the closer you can get to injecting it straight into your bloodstream.
Note: I bought it on iTunes, so I can’t review the artwork. For $9.99 though, Apple is selling the CD with an extra live song.
Without further ado, here’s the play-by-play:
"Intro":
I’m a sucker for neat production tricks. The way the intro — which I can only describe as some sort of drunken blues lullaby — transitions into the first song got me giddy for the album to start. It’s an excellent precursor to an album in which the little things really seem to make a difference.
"Hollywood":
It’s not a bad track, though I’m not sure if I would have picked it to open the album. If you entered this album fearing he may have ditched the blues, you’re immediately struck by your own stupidity. My only problem lays in the lyrics: “doing 90 on the 10?” What time was this at? Why must you mock me, Jackie? If I recall correctly, it took me 2 hours to travel 4 miles on the 10, when I went to the show on the Strip.
"So Hard to Find My Way":
Most upbeat Jackie song to date? I think so. I’ve been singing this one in my head since I first heard it. To me, it seems like the perfect single with the cheery horns, the foot-tap inducing banjo and subtle key work. It’s got a big chorus, something that in the past, was missing from his other albums. The fact that he can pull off the energy—which seems to explode coming out of each verse—is a testament to the improvement of his voice.
"Just As Well":
Someone on Amazon.com called this a “Jack Johnson-esque bore of a song” and I’m not sure if it’s humanly possible to be any more wrong. Aside from the fact that “Jack Johnson” and “bore” are incredibly redundant, it’s just a huge misread on the track. The artistic vision required to say “hey, this acoustic track needs some accordion” and then the ability necessary to pull it off is astounding. In terms of recording and quality, this song is just superb. When you can actually feel the smokiness of a singer’s voice, you’ve captured something special.
Article comments
1 - ryan
what?