JERRY JOSEPH & THE JACKMORMONS
Mouthful Of Copper (Terminus Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons are highly regarded in jam band circles, to the degree that jamsters Widespread Panic have recorded a batch of Joseph's songs and none other than Betty Cantor-Jackson, responsible for the Grateful Dead's legendary 'Betty Boards,' was at the controls when this double live set was recorded; but don't let that fool you. This isn't music for the twirly dance crowd. This is balls to the wall power trio rock and roll. It's a sound as rugged as the countryside around Butte, Montana, where this music was recorded in the fall of 2002.

It's a mix of favorites from the Jackmormons' recorded work and songs that haven't made it to a studio album yet. Joseph is known as a prolific writer, so new material is inevitably a part of a Jackmormons show. One highlight of the album is the absence of any of the guest artists that might pop up in a studio effort. Whatever visitors might add in another context, this is a trio that deserves to be heard at their on-stage, stripped-down, full-barrel best, and Mouthful Of Copper provides about two and a half hours of just exactly that.

That's one reason that I'd recommend this one as a primer for anyone unfamiliar with the band. This is what they sound like when they do what they do, and they do it very, very well. Of course, longtime fans have been waiting for this release for, well, a long time, but no one should miss it.

Track Lists:

Disc One: Brother Michael * The Jump * I Know There's A Darkness * Tanker * Thistle * Electra Glide In Blue * Climb To Safety * Hey Mancha * Soda Man

Disc Two: Chainsaw City * My Little Tiger * North * She's Going Out * Back In The Hole * Bright Young Thing * Chrome Koran * Sparkle * Pearl Of Great Price/Sparkle * Savage Garden * Hallelujah Trail

© 2003 - Shaun Dale