Rebecca's Statue

Drinking from the
Water Clock

Jam bands come, and jam bands go. And yet they all sound the same. That's why Drinking from the Water Clock, the debut release from Rebecca's Statue, is such a breath of fresh air. True, the Chicago-based ensemble doesn't exactly stake out a truly unique voice for itself, but at least the group looks beyond their peers in the current generation of jam bands for inspiration. Wisps of the Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffet, Eric Clapton and others float through a hefty helping of the Allman Brothers Band, giving the album the feel of a definitive classic rock release. In addition, there are straight blues and jazz influences -- most notably the smokin', roadhouse, barn-burner Uncle Charlie, which features the legendary Son Seals.

After setting aside the various stolen artifacts, however, one simple truth remains: These guys can jam. Rebecca's Statue quickly takes flight during the opening Heart of the Son and doesn't let up for the remainder of the disc. The slow-burn fury of You Don't Know Me gives way to Simple Times -- the Phish-iest track on Drinking from the Water Clock and one in which even Phish-haters might find themselves enthralled as the band slinks back into an Allman-esque fusion of percussion and rhythm.

Yet, the highlight of Drinking from the Water Clock is unquestionably the soaring, majestic Starfish. Here, slide guitar merges with sitar (courtesy of Fareed Haque) to grant the song an eerie undercurrent, and even though it draws heavily from Daniel Lanois' The Maker, Rebecca's Statue completely makes it their own. 

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!