Greene,Jackie Till The Light Comes CD

This record was produced by Jackie Greene and Tim Bluhm. Jackie Greene has been hailed as the new boy wonder of the Americana/roots rock scene since he released his first album in 2002, but he's clearly aiming for a bigger stage nearly a decade into his recording career. OnßTill the Light Comes,ßGreeneßsounds a great deal more comfortable with the pop side of his musical formula than he has in the past - which is not to suggest thatßGreene's made some deal with the music biz devil on this set;ßTill the Light Comesßstill sounds heartfelt and organic and the songs remain literate and well-crafted, butßGreeneßand producerßTim Bluhmßallow the hooks in the melodies to step to the forefront, with a lighter touch and a breezier approach that suits these tunes quite well. "Spooky Tina," which concerns a alluringly problematic woman, revealsßGreeneßcan write the proverbial good beat you can dance to, and the Vox organ hook and the playful backing vocals allow it to resemble some sort of a hit single, while "Medicine" is just a few shakes shy of sounding genuinely funky and the title song's mixture of a sharp melody and some strong guitar figures recallsßDire Straits from the period whenßMark Knopflerßwas writing hit single material.ßGreeneßhasn't audibly dumbed down his songwriting onßTill the Light Comes, and "1961" and "The Holy Land" confirm he still has a genuine gift for telling an emotionally compelling story that has something to say. But while the frequent comparisons toßDylanßsometimes madeßJackie Greeneßsound like the musical equivalent of shredded wheat - good for you, but not much fun -ßTill the Light Comesßis a lot more like Cinnamon Life, tasty but with some substance, too.

1. Shaky Ground 2. Stranger in Sand 3. Medicine 4. Grindstone 5. A Moment of Temporary Color 6. Spooky Tina 7. 1961 8. Take Me Back 9. The Holy Land 10. Till the Light Comes