Maybe it’s that characteristic, lacerating scream that brings the full pelt of Boil Yer Blood to a close? Or perhaps it’s the sleazy grind of Base Is Loaded, a song that that stiffens certain areas and moistens others as it likely soundtracks Satan’s own burlesque revue? Or it could well be the menacing chain-gang a cappella of Take Everything?
It’s all these things, and a little bit more, that tonight sees Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind emerge from the shadow of the singer’s previous band to establish their own identity.
Not quite the radical departure feared by some or the direct continuation hoped for by others, Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind consolidate the frontman’s strengths as singer, songwriter and performer. As evidenced by the ramalama of Aldecide or the stack-heeled stomp of Walk It Out, Jones has lost none of his enthusiasm for explosive garage rock but the flourishes of light and shade on display here reveal another dimension to his vision.
Shallow Grave, which finds trusted lieutenant Gavin Jay switching to stand-up bass to coax ominous sounds, drips with threat as Jones croons his way through, while 1,000 Miles From The Sure cleanses the third eye. And then it goes full circle as Jones reverts to his whiskey-priest persona with the explosive Alphashit.
Righteous stuff, indeed.