Jesse Malin
Glitter in the Gutter
(Adeline/East West)
First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2007, Volume 14, #4
Written by John Metzger
Former D Generation front man Jesse Malin turned to a few
rather high-profile friends for help in concocting his third solo endeavor
Glitter in the Gutter. Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, Jakob Dylan, and
Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme all rallied to his cause. Based upon the
guests alone, it’s not a terribly difficult task to determine down which path
Malin opted to tread, and not surprisingly, the guitars clatter, chug, hoot, and
holler as they exuberantly spread their youthful angst across his roots-rock
drawl. Throughout the set, Malin fashions tales of a troubled world and its
weary, brokenhearted occupants, though he also views the power of rock ’n‘ roll
as the saving grace of all. Granted, his lyrics never quite achieve the
cinematic, street-poet magnificence for which he strives, but the hard-hitting
and ingratiatingly infectious music that surrounds his words more than makes up
for his deficiencies. Hitting upon all of the right touchstones, he threads The
Jayhawks through the southern California-bred pop of Fleetwood Mac on Don’t
Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day!), revs up Tomorrow Tonight
with a Bo Diddley beat, and cops from Van Morrison by way of Counting Crows on
Black Haired Girl. Even when he softens his style — which has been the
Achilles’ heel of many like-minded endeavors — he comes out on top. Mixing his
sorrow with an ample amount of grit, he delivers a sterling cover of Paul
Westerberg’s Bastards of Young and affectingly duets with Springsteen on
Broken Radio. Although Malin’s approach is hardly groundbreaking, his
execution is impeccable, and as a result, Glitter in the Gutter is
destined to be the breakthrough that he has been seeking since stepping out on
his own. 
½
Glitter in the Gutter is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box