• Jim Wurster album review: Straight To Me
Wurster really came into his own when he went solo and formed the Atomic Cowboys taking a 180-degree turn in direction and crossing over into country with nods toward Johnny Cash, John Prine, and Hank Williams. “Straight To Me, ” his latest album, confirms that twangy intensity…it’s rare to find such authentic Americana in these environs given our South Florida soundscape rarely offers opportunity for harmonies and heartache – much less banjos, mandolins, or pedal steel guitars. With producer Jack Shawde shaping its down-home sound, the album exudes a world-weary perspective – one that’s occasionally dire and downtrodden, but mostly inspired and optimistic. Wurster’s rich croon often brings Roy Orbison to mind, especially on the album opener “Straight To Me,” while his star-crossed duets with Daphna Rose and Diane Ward on “It’s Just a Start” and “So Lucky” recall the best of Johnny and June. Fueled by heads-down determination, Wurster’s roughshod songs are both beautiful and beguiling. - Lee Zimmerman/Miami New Times
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Jim Wurster album review: Straight To Me
I was confused at first play…I thought I had inadvertently stuck in a Roy Orbison disc…Besides Roy, I have only heard that ethereal intensity from Randy Travis. It’s like a singer channeling a voice from the Pleroma, but not in a detached way, from some place deep inside and from far, far away at the same time – both quantum and cosmic. Greg Baker/Music Critic
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Jim Wurster album review: Hallelujah
Local singer-songwriter Wurster mines the same field as he did on his previous, more-rocking effort, Wake Up!, which was recorded with his sometime band, The Atomic Cowboys. Lucky for Wurster, that field -- the many foibles of the Bush administration and the ongoing shame of the Iraq War -- is a mother lode for acerbic liberals. On his new CD, Wurster loses the Cowboys and offers 11 songs of mostly acoustic music that, informed by folk and alt-country, makes excellent use of his Dylan-esque vocals. The opener, "Blind Man," with its chorus of "Blind man, what do you see/Living in the land of the free," lets listeners know from the opening salvos exactly where Wurster is aiming his guns. The disc's first five tracks address the war, the greed of corporate America and the sad state of our country's middle class. One of these songs, "Gilded Again," pays homage to historical left-wing labor heroes such as Eugene Debs and The Molly Maguires. The next three songs cover the tried-and-true alt-country subject of boozing to forget lost love -- here done most effectively on "Have Mercy on Me" -- before swinging back to the album's main focus with "Ridin' With Jesus," "Armageddon" and "Hallelujah." With this final trio, the subject shifts slightly from the administration to the religious crazies who put it in power. But when Wurster wraps up the album by singing, "The sun's gonna close its eyes, hallelujah/No more light, just darkness in the sky, hallelujah," he does so in almost-hopeful terms, suggesting that conformity and close-mindedness are not impossible to overcome. For people who agree with Wurster's pointed point of view, this album represents some of the best political songwriting to come out of South Florida since a few hanging chads put the cowboy president in office. For the roughly 30 percent who still approve of the man, this CD can't be recommended. But, hey, those folks are probably too busy listening to Newsboys or something. Dan Sweeney / City Link Magazine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Jim Wurster album review: Goodbye Paradise
What if Lou Reed found a trunkful of undiscovered Buddy Holly songs? What if John Prine fronted Poco back in the Tim Schmit days? What if David Lynch filmed and episode of Twin Peaks in a motel's poolside tiki hut off Federal Highway? They all might sound like Jim Wurster's Goodbye Paradise. Wurster wraps his world-weary vocals around unabashedly romantic lyrics; even sound titles sound like Hallmark sentiments: ""Never Let Me Go," "Fallin' Again," "Something So Good." But Wurster's sly delivery lends a hint of irony, the old weasel-in-the-woodpile kind of subversion the puts the tang in the Sweetart. Paradise begins with the Black Janet front man's Holly homage, "Never Let Me Go," blending the hiccup and cry of Texas hillbilly with a twinge of over-it-all ennui on top of some blistering rock and roll. "Falling Again" is a gentle folker that rings with bright acoustic guitar (damned if this doesn't sound like the beginning of about a dozen Poco tunes!) behind Wurster's mellow-whisky voice. Standouts such as the snarky "The Wind Cries Kathryn" and "Goodbye Paradise" and aided by Bob Wlos's plaintive pedal-steel guitar and John Tillman's rhythmic six string. Mary Karlzen also guests, dueting on the countryish "Over You," and, adding to the family feel, Roster Head's Michael Kennedy provides guitar on the title track. ) (Janet's drummer Frank Binger is also here, being Wlos's L7 Studios is in Deerfield.) Rootsy and intelligent if not lyrically profound, Paradise gets the feel and attitude right. Makes you want to stop in at a dark bar in the middle of the day, have a shot and a beer, and play Roger Miller songs on the jukebox. - Bob Weinberg / Miami New Times
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Jim Wurster album review: Goodbye Paradise
Suppose Buddy Holly had survived that plane crash and now, in middle age, was still singing his hiccupy, syncopated rock songs in a much lower voice with a strong taste for steel-guitar accompaniment. That's what the music on Jim Wurster's "Goodbye Paradise" (Black Janet Music) is like, and I can't think of anyone else who has quite the same sound today. Both in melody ands lyrics, his tunes are simple and uncomplicated. As a result they are accessible. Yet, they have the same haunting quality as Holly's work did. There's something about the terseness that indicates he's hiding as much as he is revealing. Wurster's combo provides sterling rhythm-guitar work to keep these songs bouncing. - Steven Rosen / Denver Post
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Jim Wurster album review: W
Jim Wurster's Music is embedded with character and a singular vocal and guitar style that serve as extensions of the man, calling to mind a New Wave Dylan. In fact, "Angelique" is a wildly progressive Dylan-like tune before it lands smack-dab in the middle of an Appalachian square-dancing number called "Yellow Roses." The band stays in the background pretty much except for standout cameos. "if Not Forever is a solo acoustic number that gets an added poignant sting from the steel guitar of Bob Wlos. Pete Cambell shines on guitar throughout the Neil Young cover "Cowgirl in the Sand" and a nod to '60s surf-rock arises in "Little Bit Kind." But, Wurster seems more at home when pared down to his most naked as in Grey Sky Day" with lines like "ache in my side, hole in my shoes / gun at my head with a bullet meant for you. - Bing Futch / JAM Magazine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Jim Wurster & the Atomic Cowboys album review: Dangerous Men
The four smiling middle-aged white guys looking out from the cover of the new Jim Wurster and the Atomic Cowboys CD don't look particularly dangerous. But anyone who remembers Wurster from his days leading the longtime South Florida alternative group, Black Janet, or the self-titled effort that proceeded the new Dangerous Men, knows that the songwriter's deep-country baritone can be gloomy enough to rouse even Vincent Price from his big sleep. And when Wurster admits that he "shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" on a faithful cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison," you're tempted to believe him. Wurster and the Cowboys - Drummer Frank Binger, bassist Gary Proses and guitarist / mandolinist / pedal steel wiz Bob Wlos - a bit more playful and relaxed than they were on their debut CD. Dangerous Men has none of the leftover Black Janet elements of it's predecessor, and instead presents the group as a fully developed roots-rock outfit. Wlos, especially is his usual mesmerizing self, coaxing leads from his pedal steel and mandolin as smoothly as a hand passing through water. In addition to a well-chosen and well-executed update of John Prine's "Paradise," Dangerous Men showcases Wurster's ongoing growth as a songwriter, particularly the down-home and up-tempo "Appalachian Dream" and the Western-swingin' "Love Ya So." - Jake Cline / CITY LINK MAGAZINE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• The Atomic Cowboys album review: WAKE UP!
The juxtaposition of cowboy and hippie imagery on the cover of the Atomic Cowboys' Wake Up! CD is indicative of the band's socially conscious mix of country and alternative rock. These guys aren't some fly-the-flag-or-yer-a-sissy hicks, nor are they sloganeering causeheads. They're Atomic Cowboys, damn it! It's no fluke that guitarist/vocalist Jim Wurster is often compared to Bob Dylan, though that oversimplifies the band's musical reach. Wake Up! opens with the John Lennon-inspired title track -- a bluesy, melodic call to arms for Americans to get off their duffs and speak out against, well, anything. The disc then heads into harder, more rockin' territory with "Get Him Out," a poppy, midtempo, post-punk ditty somewhere between the Buzzcocks and the Pixies. It's not until the third song, the laid-back "Silver Moon," that the Cowboys finally rustle up some country twang. The rest of the album adds more blues and roots rock to the mix, and Wurster's social criticism takes a more humanistic approach, such as in the wartime narrative "Justify." Like country great Johnny Cash, Wurster has a knack for telling a good tale. The sense of realism in his lyrics adds urgency. So when Wurster sings about the real consequences of war -- the widows and orphaned children it creates -- it's more powerful than a dozen songs of the "no war for oil" variety. The album closes with "Masters of Deception," a song Wurster did with his previous band, Black Janet. The Atomic Cowboys are no rookies, and the diverse sounds on Wake Up! are proof. - Jason Budjinski / New Times Broward-Palm Beach
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Black Janet album review: Love Thirsty – “Best Indpendent Release” – 1993 Jammy Awards Black
Janet is a real standout in the field of rock and pop music players in Florida. Headed by singer/songwriter Jim Wurster, the act takes deadly aim at a mature style of dark and bittersweet music. His voice is rich with a deep haunting resonance; the song lyrics are rife with themes of love and desire, longing and loss…Last year the band released “Love Thirsty,” a 13 song CD and it recently took honors as Best Independent release for the Statewide Jammy Music Awards. As regional radio play is spreading word of the band, Black Janet is playing gigs in Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando. - Sandra Schulman/Billboard Magazine
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Black Janet album review: In Many Colors
“Light the incense, dim the lights, slide in the cassette, and let the music wash over you. Black Janet will put you in a musical trance. This set – the first full-length from the group voted Best New Band at the recent South Florida Rock Awards – smolders, starting with In the Heat of the Night, a fiery song about sexual tension… Wurster explores another form of tension on Masters of Deception, lashing out at the rampant hypocrisy in politics…there is hope to the set in a song called Long Way to Heaven, an ethereal ballad in which Lewis’ classically trained voice takes on an angelic softness and Wurster’s delivers turns gentle and fluid. – Mario Herald/Miami Herald
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Black Janet album review: SHE
(****) "A must hear" - 4 star rating. Imagine an American version of Peter Murphy singing lead with Patti Smith supplying backing vocals while a rock-solid band backs them up, and you might come close to describing the sound of Miami's longtime favorite Black Janet on this self-produced 6-song CD. The band, originated in 1990, has achieved a distinct measure of success despite a number of personnel changes. founder / songwriter / singer / guitarist Jim Wurster has kept his vision alive and the result has been numerous accolades from fans and press alike, including a Jammy for their last album, 1992's Love Thirsty. The bands current line-up includes Wurster, singer Amy Baxter, guitarist Rose Guilot, drummer Frank Binger, and bassist David Paul. With She, Black Janet once again stands to get a good deal of attention. The six-song EP features four tracks penned by Wurster and one song apiece from Baxter and Guilot. The material covers familiar Black Janet themes like emotional and sexual tension, but this disc displays a maturing of the band and a definite settling into their own. The Hauntingly beautiful "She," from which this release gets its title, starts off this release-and should be a big radio hit, that is, if everything was just and fair in the world of music. The lead guitar playing throughout is very tasteful and melodic in it's understated use, which is primarily to accent specific parts of each song. A dark, almost "gothic," quality permeates the entire CD, but isn't overbearing nor heavy-handed at all. Major label quality both in the packaging and the sound can be found here. If the rest of the band's repertoire is a s good as these six songs, expect them to get signed to a major label deal in the very near future! - JAM Magazine
|
