Jake Stigers, Comin' Back Again
This has been out for a couple of years now, but that's a short time in indie terms, and a CD this good deserves time to build. In fact it's a good example of why new, original artists need to go the indie route. With his pedigree (he's popster-turned-jazzman Curtis's brother) and talent, Jake Stigers might be expected to have had a shot at a major label record deal. But, whether by necessity or choice, he's gone the indie route and is probably better off for it.
The CD has sold over 5,000 copies and carried Stigers through hundreds of tour dates. Based on mere four-digit sales it would have long since vanished from sight on a major label, and writers like me probably wouldn't have heard of it, received review copies, and been able to recommend it.
I can't give you much on Stigers's bio or tour dates because his website has an annoying Flash introduction that resizes my browser window. This is a big turn-off. Fortunately you don't need the official website - you can listen to extended samples at CD Baby.
The opening track, "Do You Feel High," with its fuzzed out guitars, sounds a bit like a sped up Steve Miller song with an unexpected change in elevation during the chorus. "Another Negotiation" is a short and sweet high-energy rocker, with a strange, quiet little coda that leads into the Beatle-esque ballad "Only Wanna Be With You," which is where the heart and soul of the album begins. "We Don't Need Anybody" returns to the hard rock tip but in a soul-infused Southern rock vein, like Lynyrd Skynyrd filtered through Elton John. "Comin' Back Again" features crying guitars, as in an Eric Clapton or Strawbs soft-rock ballad, cushioning another timeless-sounding melody.
"Marlena" is a highlight, a startlingly groovy neo-soul tune sung in a fluid falsetto, and the CD closes with "That Ain't Livin'," another hard driving southern-soul rocker. Stigers's solid songwriting and his fine voice and band keep the whole thing on course. Musical comparisons aside, this CD is a whole lot of fun, and isn't that the main point of rock anyway?
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