Jet [2006] Shine On

[01] L'Esprit D'Escalier
[02] Holiday
[03] Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
[04] Bring It On Back
[05] That's All Lies
[06] King's Horses
[07] Shine On
[08] Come On Come On
[09] Stand Up
[10] Rip It Up
[11] Skin And Bones
[12] Shiny Magazine
[13] Eleanor
[14] All You Have To Do



amg: The difficult second album has brought many bands back to Earth after a promising debut. With Shine On, Australian hard rockers Jet do their level best to avoid the follow-up doldrums. While nothing here is as immediate and memorable as "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?," the album stacks up well against Get Born. Working again with Dave Sardy, the band maintains its tough and alive sound and delivers the same mix of energetic rockers and introspective ballads as before. They attack the songs with passion, wring plenty of noise from their instruments, and generally sound enthusiastic and creative. The hard rocking songs are what the band is mainly known for and there are some good ones on board, like the pounding "Rip It Up," "Holiday," and the chest-thumping strutter "Come on Come On." Unfortunately, there are also a couple of rockers that fall flat. "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" is a far too obvious attempt to recapture of the feel of "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?," but only ends up sounding desperate. If ever a cowbell felt obligatory, it does here. A few others come up short in the lyrical department; "Stand Up" is a cringe-inducing statement of empowerment and "Holiday" is pretty silly, too. The real strength of the record, and of the band, comes through on the ballads. When they drop the tough pose and get tender, Jet create some nice moments of emotion and melancholy beauty. Sure, the ballads sound as if they were cribbed right from the Oasis playbook, from the sound of the vocals to the structure of the songs, but they don't sound phony or forced. Tunes like "Bring It on Back," "Kings Horses," and "Eleanor" are sophisticated, sensitive, and graceful-sounding, and "Shine On" provides some real emotional weight. Even better than the ballads (which anyone who gave a real listen to the first album knew they could pull off) are the midtempo songs such as "Skin and Bones," the very hooky "Hey Kids" (which overcomes a very clunky Vietnam reference in the lyrics), and "Shiny Magazine," which show a middle ground between flat-out rocking and epic balladry where Jet sounds very comfortable. Shine On is a good album that avoids the sophomore slump, but has enough moments of rote rocking to make the next record a worrisome prospect. If they manage to tip the scales toward their tender and introspective side, Jet may turn out to be a band to reckon with.
(amg 7/10)

James Morrison [2006] Undiscovered

[01] Under The Influence
[02] You Give Me Something
[03] Wonderful World
[04] The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore
[05] One Last Chance
[06] Undiscovered
[07] The Letter
[08] Call The Police
[09] This Boy
[10] If The Rain Must Fall
[11] How Come
[12] The Last Goodbye
[13] Better Man



amg: James Morrison's debut had already gone platinum in Britain before it was released in the U.S., and the young singer/songwriter has scored hit singles at home. With a pleasantly soulful voice that faintly recalls Stevie Wonder, he offers several slices of polite soul-pop that deftly manage to recall the heyday of soul while still managing to sound modern — a neat balancing trick. However, smooth as Morrison sounds, for much of the album there's a distinct lack of passion in his voice — and that's a prime ingredient of real soul music. Only on "Call the Police" does he summon any real anguish. "You Give Me Something," his first British hit, is catchy and memorable, but not a classic. Indeed, this is an album without soul classics. Ultimately it's more a piece of pop, but there's nothing wrong with that. Time will tell how ephemeral the songs will be, but Morrison shows here that he might become a real talent with some age and work, and maybe a little personal pain wouldn't hurt. He has a hand in all the songs here, showing definite qualities as a writer. Again, time will tell.
(amg 7/10)

Jack Johnson [2006] Sing-A-Longs And Lullabys For The Film Curious George

[01] Upside Down
[02] Broken
[03] People Watching
[04] Wrong Turn
[05] Talk Of The Town
[06] Jungle Gym (Featuring G.Love)
[07] We're Going To Be Friends
[08] The Sharing Song
[09] The 3 R's
[10] Lullaby (Featuring Matt Costa)
[11] With My Own Two Hands (Featuring Ben Harper)
[12] Questions
[13] Supposed To Be
[14] The 3 R's (Money Mark Remash)

Featuring [06] G. Love, [10] Matt Costa, [11] Ben Harper



amg: Perennial surfer dude/singer/songwriter Jack Johnson lends his voice to the eternally silent Curious George on this collection of "Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies," original material built around the famous monkey and his strange obsession with "the Man with the Yellow Hat." Universal Pictures couldn't have picked a better collaborator for this soundtrack to the Curious George film, as Johnson's easygoing delivery and breezy demeanor match George's silent curiosity to a T. Fellow songwriters Ben Harper, G. Love, and Matt Costa contribute three songs to the predominantly children-oriented affair, while Johnson and band give up an island rendition of the White Stripes' "We're Going to Be Friends," as well as the umpteenth cover of Schoolhouse Rock!'s "Three Is the Magic Number." Heady stuff? Not exactly, but there's not an ounce of pretense to the project, making it a fun, safe bet for kids and a forgettable — yet not entirely unpleasant — piece of escapism for adults.
(amg 7/10)