Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes

Two years since the last album from Springsteen’s boyhood chum but worth the wait – this is a cracker!

From the belting horns and piano of ‘Harder Than It Looks’ you can tell that Southside Johnny has all his enthusiasm back and this time around he has written all the songs in collaboration with Keyboard player Jeff Kazee.
Johnny Lyon never did have anything yiou could call a classic voice but his hoarse and rasping voice is perfectly suited to numbers like ‘Cross That Line’ while ‘Woke Up This Morning’ feels like a classic Sunday morning Blues with a wailing harp and understated horns alongside some classic slide guitar from Andy York.

He has a harder, more Bluesy, feel to the music this time around with more guitar than is always apparent but the stripped down and hard-edged sound really suits him although ‘Heartbreak City’ is quintessential Southside Johnny with a huge feel and soaring horn blast to it.
‘Strange Strange Feeling’ is deeply dark and soulful with a real Mexicali-desert-Blues feel and some great guitar from Andy York.
‘Umbrella In My Drink’ is a N’Orleans boogie with a guest appearance from Gary ‘US’ Bonds and some real groovy honky piano alongside banjo and horns – this will be a real stage pleaser.
Everywhere you look there is another cracker – ‘One More Night To Rock’ is classic Jukes, ‘Keep On Moving’ is a rocking delight and ‘You Can’t Bury Me’ is just a fine piece of rock theatre.

Southside Johnny has always been one of those artists who deliver much more than you expect and never quite got the rewards they deserved – it is so good to hear that he is still doing it and still delivering.