{"id":7166,"date":"2019-08-08T05:00:32","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T05:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=7166"},"modified":"2019-08-06T08:12:32","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T08:12:32","slug":"jesse-malin-sunset-kids-wicked-cool-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=7166","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Malin \u2013 \u2018Sunset Kids\u2019 (Wicked Cool Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jesse Malin\u2019s transition from snotty frontman for NY punks D Generation to acoustic troubadour has been a natural progression over the last 15 years. The long and winding road has seen him release 7 solo albums, collaborating with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams and Brian Fallon along the way.<\/p>\n

Critically praised, yet commercially ignored (hey, aren\u2019t all the best songwriters? Ginger,Tyla and Butch Walker, here\u2019s looking at you!). His live shows, whether solo or with a band, can be an immersive experience full of storytelling, comedy and crowd interaction. Jesse Malin continues to tell tales of dreamers, schemers, hustlers and dealers. These are his songs about the characters from his native New York and stories about those he meets on the road.<\/p>\n

Jesse\u2019s latest album \u2018Sunset Kids\u2019 is a collaboration with country legend Lucinda Williams, who Malin met by chance in a club. They discussed making an album together after she invited him to Tom Petty\u2019s final concert. \u00a0During the writing and recording Jesse lost his father, his good friend Todd Youth and even the engineer of the album Davis Bianco.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Opener \u2018Meet Me At The End Of The World Again\u2019 is a re-recording of the lead track from 2017\u2019s \u2018Meet Me At The End Of The World\u2019 EP. This version benefits from Lucinda\u2019s lush production and masterful guidance. The verse, sung in Jesse\u2019s lower register with the addition of warm bass and a tinkling of the ivories, comes on like prime Lou Reed. It lends itself well as a great build to the infectious chorus full of lush, gang vocals. It\u2019s a laid back, lazy sounding slice of retro rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, the kind that only a New York resident could produce. This is Jesse walking on the wildside and that\u2019s about as rock \u2018n\u2019 roll as you can get.<\/p>\n

Next up, the countrified \u2018Room 13\u2019 is a reflective ode to spending time in hotel rooms (Jesse has been known to book himself into hotels to write songs in isolation, with no distractions). This is prime Malin songwriting, featuring Lucinda\u2019s lush vocal harmonies and twangy countrified guitars, the sparse instrumentation creates space and atmosphere that only adds to the laid back, signature melodies Jesse creates.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a nice ebb and flow to the album, from the upbeat to the downbeat. Reflective, acoustic laments like \u2018When You\u2019re Young\u2019 and \u2018Revelations\u2019 rub (leather) shoulders with funky 70\u2019s groovers such as \u2018Do You Really Wanna Know\u2019 and the overly cool \u2018Dead On\u2019, 2 tunes that deserve to be jammed out by cool cats in smoky bars, while whores hustle and hustlers whore around them.<\/p>\n

The upbeat \u2018Chemical Heart\u2019 has the same feel as his version of The Hold Steady\u2019s \u2018You Can Make Them Like You\u2019 from the excellent \u2018On Your Sleeve\u2019 covers album. Nice stabs of Hammond give this song a quirky burst of energy. It\u2019s one of the coolest on offer, along with \u2018Strangers and Thieves\u2019, co-written by Billy Joe Armstrong as part of their Rodeo Queens side project. A euphoric, countrified rock \u2018n\u2019 roll blast if ever there was one. Lucinda\u2019s lush backing vocals add depth, great percussion and twangy guitars give a Stonesy \u2018All Down The Line\u2019 feel. A much needed dose of urgency.<\/p>\n

Jesse\u2019s tales of working class guys, lost love and dreaming of breaking out of the rat race have been popular themes with the guy since D Generation burst onto MTV with \u2018No Way Out\u2019, and although the production may have changed, the message is still the same. As he suggests in \u2018Shining On\u2019, you gotta keep on, keeping on. \u201cCall me a cab for the last plane to tomorrow\u201d he asks on \u2018Promises\u2019 and \u2018Grey Skies Look So Blue\u2019 floats along on a summer breeze as Jesse dreams about packing his bags and getting away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When an artist goes through tumultuous times, when a songwriter experiences heartache or pain, and truly has something to write about, THAT is when they are at their best. Like much of Jesse\u2019s solo work, \u2018Sunset Kids\u2019 is a reflective body of work, full of heartfelt tenderness and cool rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, but for whatever reason it resonates so much more than his past albums. And with the help of Lucinda Williams, he may well have made the album of his career.<\/p>\n

Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n

Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n