Album Review
If you had to explain American roots rock to an extraterrestrial, the simplest answer would be Just Drive. Like Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, the Dave Matthews Band, the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, and Widespread Panic, Jackalope Junction's deft mixture of folk, rock, blues, country, R&B, and soul embodies the essence of what makes this genre endearing and timeless: good singing, good playing, and good songwriting. All the members of Jackalope Junction excel on their respective instruments, especially bassist Debbie Novac, who belts out a sassy Bonnie Raitt meets Christine McVie cut entitled "Ain't Gonna Lift You Up." De facto lead singer Dave Isaacs, who writes the band's material, drifts somewhere between Bob Weir and Jackson Browne, slipping in relaxed melodies that float over the bar line and nestle comfortably behind the beat. Harmony vocalist Catherine Miles shines on "The Best Is Yet to Come," a track that could rocket Linda Ronstadt back to the top of the charts. Silverman, Voile, and Mafale round out the rhythm section with the expertise of Russ Titleman's studio posse that ruled the airwaves for over two decades. Major labels should come crawling to Jackalope Junction.
