Nach 14 Jahren ein neues Werk, überhaupt erst sein 10. Album in über 40 Jahren. Zur Hälfte mit einer Band feat. Larry Campbell (Dylan, Joe Henry, Levon Helm, Buddy/Julie Miller, Ry Cooder), Steve Jordan (Steely Dan, Stones, Neil Young..), Duke Levine (u.a. Mary Chapin Carpenter), Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm, Jeff Buckley..), außerdem u.a. Hugh McCracken (die halbe Pop-Welt). Große Bandbreite, wohlsortiert in der Abfolge: Völlig zeitloser melodischer Rock, 2x ein bischen a la Stones der späten 70er (mit einem Hauch Pop bzw. ähnlich „Miss You“), funky mit einer Prise Disco/Curtis Mayfield, ein rockig-bluesig grundierter Block in der Mitte (incl. Boogie Rock meets Bob Dylan-Talking Blues), eingerahmt von (natürlich) 3 schönen warmen Reggae-Songs in dezent poppiger Färbung (2 davon mit Bläsern im Vordergrund, generell bleibt er eher gitarrenbetont), gefolgt von sehr feinem akust. Folk Blues, eher rockigem handfestem Reggae, und sehr melodischem organischem unaufdringlich groovendem Multi-Roots-Pop. Sympathisches Album!
(Glitterhouse)
Garland Jeffreys, in Deutschland noch am ehesten für seine Kulthits "Wild In The Street" (vielfach gecovert und jüngst noch von Jeffreys mit Bruce Springsteen live gespielt) sowie "Matador" (1980) bekannt, zeigt sich in bestechender Form. Den roten Faden bilden auf "The King Of In Between" Jeffreys typisch aufgekratzter Falsettgesang und die Dringlichkeit, mit der er seine bissig gesellschaftsrelevanten Songtexte zum Besten gibt. Jeffreys lebt auf "King Of In Between" klar und luzide, souverän und selbstbewusst seine unterschiedlichsten musikalischen Vorlieben voll und ganz aus. Von Reggae ("All Around The World" nahm er mit Junior Marvin von den Wailers auf!) über Blues ("'Til John Lee Hooker Calls Me") und Ska ("She's A Killer") bis hin zu entfesselten Rocksongs ("I'm Alive") und cineastisch anmutendem Philly-Sound à la Curtis Mayfield ("Streetwise"). Mal meint man, Bob Dylan habe Pate gestanden ("Love Is Not A Cliché"), mal fühlt man sich an Elvis Costello erinnert ("The Beautiful Truth"), mal wird er von seinem alten Freund Lou Reed unterstützt ("The Contortionist"). Jeder Song für sich, co-produziert von Larry Campbell und abgemischt von Roy Cicala (Lennon, Springsteen), Koryphäe des legendären Record Plant Studios, ist von packender Eindringlichkeit. Große Songkunst, durchzogen von feiner, fast schon weiser Gesellschaftskritik. Ab Ende Mai ist Garland Jeffreys erstmals seit Jahren auch wieder live auf deutschen Bühnen zu sehen.
"I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive, not dead," sings Garland Jeffreys on his first release in 13 years. Repetitious? Sure, but it's a logical declaration since his albums are so sporadic -- this is only his third in nearly two decades -- most '80s fans have probably forgotten him entirely or, perhaps worse, think he falls into the onetime next-big-thing bucket who, despite critical praise and consistently challenging albums, never fulfilled that expectation. Jeffreys tends to focus his albums around a topic, with 1992's Don't Call Me Buckwheat geared toward race relations and 1997's Wildlife Dictionary mulling aspects of love and sex. This time out, he spotlights New York City, specifically his love for his hometown, although matters of mortality (the aforementioned "I'm Alive") and romance drift through song titles such as "The Beautiful Truth" and "Love Is Not a Cliché." The production by ex-Dylan associate Larry Campbell ranges from full-on rock & roll to more stripped-down, classic '70s Curtis Mayfield funk/soul on the epic "Streetwise" and, as usual for Jeffreys, short forays into credible reggae and even ska. In fact, "Roller Coaster Town" sounds like it could have slotted on an early Specials album. Like New York City, it's a mash-up of diversity that congeals into a logical whole through Jeffreys' distinctive and always impassioned vocals. The opening "Coney Island Winter" sets the tone, both musically and lyrically, as Jeffreys reminiscences about his youth in that section of New York City, wrapping his aging into the narrative of the amusement park that has rotted away, comparing its wintry crumbling with his own as he sings "don't want to die on stage with a microphone in my hand." It's a heavy concept with defiant, thumping drums pushing the melody like a pumping heartbeat. Old friend Lou Reed joins a background set of vocals, although he is barely recognizable on "The Contortionist," another unflinching look back at Jeffreys' life and mistakes made set against a singalong "doo doo" chorus readymade for audience participation. The singer expands his musical palette on a John Lee Hooker-styled boogie for the appropriately titled "Til John Lee Hooker Calls Me" that also namechecks Fats Domino, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Bo Diddley, and Louis Armstrong, and again explores his sense of mortality with the lyrics "…not gettin' any younger/and I'm not feelin' very old." The closing Delta blues strips the sound down to just acoustic and electric guitars as Jeffreys mulls over his own death and what his life has meant. Regardless of the serious topics, Jeffreys' music is almost giddy in its approach, a perfect contrast to words that are generally far less joyful. It's a melancholy but never depressing 50 minutes that proves what an under-the-radar talent Jeffreys remains, and indicates that his best work might even be ahead of him. But not if he waits another 13 years to release it.
(by Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide)