CHRIS KNIGHT
The Jealous Kind (Dualtone)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Hard times can make for some real good music, and Chris Knight's musical portraits of his Appalachian neighbors are real good examples of hard times music at its best. The Kentuckian singer/songwriter straddles the ground between outlaw country and Springsteen/Mellencamp style working class roots rock, in the process creating music that truly deserves the too easily awarded appellation 'Americana.'

It's pretty standard fare on the surface - songs about heartbreaks, barrooms, spoiled dreams and back roads. Knight has a lyrical gift, though, that makes extraordinary music out of commonplace subjects, and his performances have just enough gritty emotion to convince you that these are stories about people and places he's actually seen, if not events he's actually lived. That element of reality gets ahold of your ears, and is likely to lead your hand to the replay button over and over.

Track List:

The Jealous Kind * Banging Away * The Border * Staying Up All Night Long * A Train Not Running * Carla Came Home * Me And This Road * Broken Plow * Devil Behind The Wheel * Hello Old Man * Long Black Highway

© 2003 - Shaun Dale