Happy Growl 2024
Electric epistles from American singer-songwriter who’ll cross melodic frontiers in search of a tune and refuse to follow genre rules to capture the muse.
Just Deserts
It’s easy to get dumbfounded by the discrepancy between the cover of Jim Eannelli’s solo debut and the music within, as the expanse this platter’s artwork seems to suggest doesn’t reflect a prairie slant of what the Milwaukeean and his friend offer here – instead, it may signal sonic spaciousness of the dozen pieces on display. Of course, the titular pun will not escape the listener, and that’s par for the course for the former member of THE SHIVVERS and COLOUR RADIO, and the fact of Rick Derringer serving as a producer for the latter synth-pop ensemble’s eponymous album, out in 1984, should only emphasize the breadth of Eannelli’s stylistic scope. Jim couldn’t care less for such a radius, though, as he’s reaching for the depth, and immediacy, of view here and pulling the audience into the sacred places he’s been pursuing for decades now.
It’s the deceptive simplicity and sincerity that make opener “29 Women” irresistible, as the arresting strum of Eanelli’s acoustic guitar and the shimmer of Gary Tanin’s simmering ivories contrast lyrics which deal with the plight of war causalities, with Jim’s electric solo and the “I ain’t gonna be your dog” refrain stinging rather hard. And while the organ-bolstered riffs behind “Train From Chicago” feel deliciously robust underneath the mellifluous, blues-tinged vocals and honeyed six-string passages, the soothing, pining Americana offered in “Where I’ve Been” and the confessional show-tune angle of “News For You” are more than welcome too, as their dynamic perspective, unhurried groove and filigreed delivery fathom one’s soul with staggering results. Still, nothing can be as unexpected as the mélange of psychedelic wavering and the country twang that render “Waitin'” so mindbogglingly riveting, especially when “Christine” follows it with warm, almost hymnal harmonies and “Young Girl” with homespun, albeit slightly otherworldly, balladry.
And then, there’s the harmonica-spiced, smile-inducing “I Want To Be Your Man” to radiate bluegrassy joie de vivre before the adventurous “Down My Road” and nostalgic “Old 97” add exquisite bumps to Eannelli’s seductive ride. Yet whereas the mortality-measuring “Simple Man” reverts to the album’s initial slow burn, with spiritual uplift woven into the cut’s flow, the heavier “Should I Try” wraps things up on the dancefloor, in a fit of retrofuturistic rave. A life-affirming effort, “Just Deserts” doesn’t disappoint.
****1/4
