2013-03-24
Southside Johnny has always been known as one of the finest bar & party bands from the Jersey shore & just like friend and fellow rocker Bruce Springsteen has dabbled in folk and down-home heartland rock. This CD a side project from The Asbury Dukes "though employs several members" is a mixture of original tracks as well as great cover tracks from Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan & Randy Newman. The CD begins with two originals and it is easy to see the heartland direction Johnny and producer John Lyon are taking this disc. "Cant Let Go" is a terrific cover of a Lucinda Williams track and one of the highlights on this disc. Chris Kenner's tack "Something You Got" combined with "Down Home Girl" has a 1960's soul sound and could easily have been released on a Jukes disc. Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" is a bluesy track where the vocals have a real Tom Waits sound to them. The CD bookends the country heartland sound with the Randy Newman original "Old Kentucky Home". This CD unfortunately will still not make Southside a household name, but after almost 40 years, I am sure he didn't expect. It will though put a smile on the faces of his legion of loyal fans. Reviewed By: Gregg SaurThe opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.