Western Star Records

Released: March 22


Jack Rabbit Slim. They’re named after the diner in Pulp Fiction. They sport greasy quiffs. Their first song on this album mentions Tennessee. The four men in Jack Rabbit Slim are from Herts, Northampton, Birmingham and Kent respectively. They’ve put an apostrophe in ‘hairdos’ when they don’t need to. Apparently, no one has corrected this. Is it intentional? Alas, I suspect not.

So there are many reasons to dislike this band. But then you get to the music, which is rockabilly. And it’s good. It’s not earth-shaking. It’s very traditional. Bless ‘em. JRS are not trying to reinvent the wheel here. But if you like rockabilly (and everyone should have a little rockabilly in their collection), then you’ll like this album. It sounds exactly like rockabilly should: a little sleazy, a little strung out and speed-freaky, insouciantly cool and delinquent, but in a greased hair, Brando giving it his beat lip-curl kind of way. Let’s face it, this music is our heritage, and while we all want to hear something that pushes the boundaries of what music can do and be, sometimes it’s nice to know that someone somewhere is making rattling, rolling, snake-hip shakin’ music like this, and doing it well. Oh, and if you want depth, how about this, from ‘Skin’: “Masturbation, girl, it ain’t no crime/ I’m touching yours and you are touching mine”. Worthy of Prince, that is.

6/10

Posted In Album Reviews, Mar 18 2010. Words - Richard