FTV: Just Deserts
Our good friend Gary Tanin at Daystorm Music in Milwaukee recently sent along Jim Eannelli’s first solo album Just Deserts which is set to be released in both digital and physical formats on September 27, 2024. Yours truly was visiting Eugene, Oregon to catch John Forgety’s 56th Anniversary Celebration concert. When the Just Deserts file arrived, I was in the process of testing positive for my first go around with COVID. I was a little dismayed that I managed to contract this accursed virus having traveled masked through three airports on the 17 hour trip to Eugene. Of course I managed to share it with my hosts Elizabeth and Todd at the WOAS West Coast Bureau. Luckily the strain we contracted had mild symptoms and the rest of my west coast adventure was uneventful (minus the 17 hour return trip (masked) via Denver and Chicago on the hottest most humid day of the late summer).
Isolating at the WCB meant I had ample time to re-acquaint myself with Eannelli. I first encountered his work on four albums Daystorm Music sent to us by Peggy James where Jim served as producer and guitarist. With the release of his new album pending, I dug back into his musical biography to find out more about this outstanding guitarist. To say he has had a long and varied career would be an understatement as his first gig was as the bass player in a rhythm and blues band called The Soul Sensations back in 1966. Between then and his most recent work with Peggy James, he had been the bass player or guitarist in numerous bands playing everything from punk (The Blackholes) to rock (Blackjack) to new wave (The Shivvers), to techno pop (Colour Radio).
If those don’t provide Jim enough street cred to hang his guitar on, we should also mention his stints with drumming great Kenny Baldwin (Locate Your Lips), bass guitar duties with disco band Montreal, rocking blues band The Shuffleaires, lead guitar duties with The Peggy James Band, performing as the frontman in the power trio The Milktrain, and guitar with the rocking bluegrass band Salt Creek. Did we mention his session work with Victor DeLorenzo (former drummer with the Violent Femmes), Sam Llanas (former BoDean), Martin Jack Rosenblum, his longtime musical collaborator Lil Rev, and (as previously mentioned) Peggy James.
Jim Eannelli didn’t just fall off the turnip truck and his vast array of influences certainly show up in the songs on Just Deserts. Lil’ Rev worked with Eannelli on his 20th album (Unheard: Songs from the Street) and credits the ‘sonic dimension’ Jim added to his new record where he played guitar, drums, bass and keyboards. Lil’ Rev says, “We recorded previous albums live with very little overdubbing. By contrast, Eannelli’s production for Unheard is multi tracked without losing the music’s organic sensibility.” In his impressive career, Eannelli has also shared bills with Leslie West, Rick Derringer, Nils Lofgren, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Iggy Pop, The Romantics, Cheap Trick, and The Guess Who to name just a few.
Just Deserts kicks off with the track 29 Women. It is a catchy tune with a nice driving. It is followed up with Where I’ve Been that features great acoustic guitar with slide (or pedal steel) work throughout. Having been around a lot of artists and different genres of music, Eannelli’s has a chameleon quality that makes him sound like his influences without losing his own voice. Where I’ve Been reminded me a bit of Chris Isaak’s best work.
The relaxed, slow shuffle of New for You is carried by a nice bass line. The vocals are a perfect match to the feel of this tune. Train from Chicago features another catchy opening riff augmented with fluid guitar lines laid out in a nice reverb bed. The build up for the next track, Waitin’ takes you into a full acoustic sound backing emotional, but not maudlin, vocals. One feels this song as much as one hears it. Christine is another song leaning toward wistful, again with a lot of emotion in the lyrics and delivery. I really liked the change of pace that takes place around the 3:50 mark and continues to the end of the song. It is a very cool effect.
Young Girl is where I got the hint of Roy Orbison. In fact, the middle tracks of Just Deserts sound like Jim was writing an extended love letter. Just when I wondered where he would go next, the bouncy Hill Country blues flavor (ala Cedric Burnside and the North Mississippi Allstars) kicked in with I want to Be Your Man. A slight change in direction put a jangly guitar arrangement in my head reminiscent of Tom Petty (both his solo work and his reformed Mudcrutch era) on the track Down My Road. Old 97 came on with the kind of infectious beat that I love. I couldn’t help but desk drumming along with the track’s uptempo gait.
Simple Man is a track that I liked even without drums (yes, drummers always want to hear songs with drums or else they add their own as noted with Old 97). Here the organ arrangement and skilled playing (which is great all across the album) holds up the guitar and vocals without the need for a drum track. Just Deserts winds up with Should I Try. It is a great closer and the guitar and voice structure screamed ‘Roger McGuinn’ to me right off the bat.
All in all it is a well constructed album and I am sure the more I listen to it, the more pleasant surprises I will find in the mix. Congrats to Jim on an ‘A+’ effort. Thank you. Gary, for sending along Just Deserts.
Top Piece Video: Jim Eannelli and Lil’ Rev with WE COULD RIDE – you can see they have a lot of fun together!