Cited as one of the most exciting live acts currently plying their trade around the clubs and venues of the UK, the Jim Jones Revue deliver their latest album The Savage Heart. Mixing a furious style of musicianship with supercharged rock and roll, the band are a breath of smoke-filled, beer-soaked fresh air for the heavily stagnated scene of UK garage rock.
Formed in 2007, the band is the brainchild of the eponymous Jim Jones and guitarist Rupert Orton who both shared the dream of stripping rock’n’roll back to its bare bones. Enlisting, Elliot Mortimer, Nick Jones and Gavin Jay to finalise the line up, they released their debut self titled album in September 2008 to critical acclaim. It was followed with Here To Save Your Soul, a collection of the JJR’s singles released in October 2009.
Now back with what will be their third studio album, the Jim Jones Revue are ready to make the step into the wider market bracket and bring their individual style and sustenance to listeners around the globe.
Kicking off the album is ‘It’s Gotta Be About Me’.
Playing like a savage, malicious theme tune to a haunted house’s worst nightmare, perhaps populated by zombies or some other maniacal machination of your dark imagination. As an album opening track, there have been few stronger in 2012. Ambitious and undeniably gutsy, the energy displayed by the Jim Jones Revue on this track alone is enough to warrant listening.
That up-tempo, bare chested, leather lunged garage rock continues throughout the album. ‘Where da Money Go?’ and ‘Chain Gang’, provide other notable highlights in the form of ear drum blasting vocals from Jim Jones himself and a thorough gut clenching turn from the percussion section, The Savage Heart is as the name suggests, a savage 36-minute assault on sensibilities and audio resistance.
A lot of documentation has been made about the death of rock and roll. But like the mythical Hydra, chop off a head and two grow back in its place – there seems like no end in sight. The garage rock scene has been one of the hardest hit during the digital demise of the rock genre. For a musical style so dedicated to grass roots and the fundamental ethos and energies of primal musicianship, it exists in a strange dichotomy of never truly feeling or sounding good until properly produced.
The Savage Heart and by extension the Jim Jones Revue are examples of the garage scene done right for the 21st century. Produced by Jim Scalavunos of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds fame, his influence drips from every digitally encoded track of The Savage Heart. As is often the case with big time producers who plaster their names all over press releases for new bands, the onus can be taken away from the musicians themselves.
However in this case, it is more than warranted. The Jim Jones Review are a motley gathering of energetic, furious rockers, that much is clear from their lyrics and playing style. Yet the whole thing would and probably does descend into chaos without the fatherly curbing of an expert producer.
The end result is an accomplished album which any garage band, established or aspiring should look to as a model for 21st century success. The Savage Heart offers enough of the raw savagery and accomplished, glossy sound that will make rock fans old and new happy.
