JASON RINGENBERG
All Over Creation (Yep Roc)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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The cowboy boot, bar-top stomp of "Honky Tonk Maniac From Mars" sounds like Jason hasn't dispatched his Scorchers just yet, but as the record settles down, it is clear this solo path really is a different beast. Ringenberg invites his Nashville pals (Steve Earl, BR549, Lambchop) for a country square dance that moves from the bar to the barn, and eventually settles down to straw slumber tunes. Jason's white hat is now well worn, dusty and probably hiding much less hair these days, so the move to country ballads is a natural one. Still, digging into Gun Club's "Mother of Earth" and Earle's "Bible and a Gun" shows the cutting edge hasn't dulled, it's just being channeled differently.

© 2002 - John Sekerka