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Rainy Day Music - The Jayhawks | |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
To the average music fan, the band The Jayhawks just seem like another of "those" outsider bands. They're too rock for country and too country for most rock stations. The sad thing is that this band has been recording fine albums since the mid 1980s and most probably only heard their singles like their hit from 1992's fine Hollywood Town Hall, "Waiting For The Sun." It's really a shame that the band has been overlooked by a majority of the world for they make some of the purest and honest music in the world.
It may have taken nearly 12 years for the band to score their first Top 10 hit but they have with their debut single from their new album Rainy Day Music. "Save It For A Rainy Day," is a nice tender ballad about a woman who doesn't understand that she doesn't have to play the part of a down-trodden woman. The song is the type of thing that has made Ryan Adams a star and the fact that Adams and The Jayhawks share the same producer, Ethan Johns is no mere coincidence.
"Tailspin" is a beautiful country rocker, complete with steel guitar and banjo that recalls Crosby, Stills & Nash while also retaining a solid foundation in modernity. Perhaps the presence of Ethan Johns (Glyn's son) on production and Stephen Stills' own son Chris on harmony vocals helps the Jayhawks channel those lovely sounds from the 1970's country rock scene.
"All The Right Reasons" reminds me of another 1970's country rock band, The Byrds. The harmonies and musical instrumentation of this beautifully written love ballad take me back to the time I was a kid listening to classic rock radio with my dad.
"One Man's Problem" starts off sounding like it could've been a Credence Clearwater Revival song then switches to a Beatles-styled song. The harmonies mixed with the melodies keep this song wonderfully textured and fun to listen to.
The two songs that really give me a sense of just what kind of band the Jayhawks are were written and sung by the drummer Tim O'Reagan. Think of Rodney Crowell's voice and you get the sense of vocal style he has. The songs are "Don't Let The World Get In Your Way" and "You Look So Young." They both really sound like long lost John Lennon songs. They fit well and contrast chief songwriter/singer Gary Louris' songs.
The Wallflowers lead singer Jakob Dylan (son of Bob) joins the Jayhawks and Chris Stills (by now an un-official member of the Jayhawks it seems) for the southern gospel rocker "Come To The River." It reminds me of so many of the great southern rock bands when they do gospel that I can't pick any particular one. It's just a great song that has a sing-a-long chorus to it.
If I didn't know better I'd have thought I was listening to CSN&Y on "Madman." Once again Louris writes a timeless song and has Chris Stills join in on percussion and vocals along with the four band members (bassist Marc Pearlman and guitarist Stephen McCarthy being the others). The song is about a man who spends his time "singing down in the alley."
As an added bonus for their fans, the band added a limited-edition bonus disc with six songs on it including their prior hit "Waiting For The Sun." This version is a fine live acoustic version the band recorded in April of 2002. The other songs include a rare song ("Fools On Parade") previously only available overseas, and some demo versions of the songs that were (one with O'Reagan singing leads instead of Louris) finalized on this album.
While this is a good example of a band who wears their influences on their sleeves, they certainly are a band that is beloved in the Midwest, (they're from Minnesota) and do write great songs that have a timeless feel to their melodies and lyrics. The Jayhawks are certainly not a band that everyone will like but if you are already a fan of country-rock or folk-rock, you will really enjoy these songs that at times sound more country than a majority of what is played on country radio these days.
Song List:
Bonus Disc (Limited-Edition)
Audio clip courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
Album cover, used with permission of Lost Highway.
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