Home » Jazz News » Recording

84

'Utterly Captivating' Roots Rock on Debut CD/DVD by JD Malone & the Experts

Source:

Sign in to view read count
Avalon, the debut release by JD Malone & the Experts (ItsAboutMusic.com), is a CD/DVD package that delivers extraordinary roots rock which brings to mind the snarl and grit of a young Steve Earle, Tom Petty and John Mellencamp through a sterling band and its honey-voiced leader.

Tapped by Goldmine as a 'Download of the Week' and declared “utterly captivating" in a five-star review by Sea of Tranquility, Avalon also features a 37-minute DVD documentary of the band in studio rehearsals for the recording of the album and is accompanied by a 12-page, full-color booklet with all lyrics and personal bios of each member in the band. The CD version includes five bonus tracks not available for download, making the CD a full 79 minutes long.

The album was recorded at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA with Grammy winning engineer Phil Nicolo (Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Lauryn Hill) and executive producer Dean Sciarra of ItsAboutMusic.com.

JD Malone & the Experts are not out to invent something with Avalon, but they sure go a long way towards perfecting it, as only experts do. Stylistically, the band's music is the sort that you might hear at a backwoods VFW Hall on a Saturday night, drawing on the radio-friendly catalogues of classic American roots-rockers like Credence Clearwater Revival. Direct Current calls the music on Avalon “a hearty, meat-and-potatoes musical stew [featuring] sturdy rock riffs [which] mingle with a dusty twang while the rhythm section rumbles like a well-tuned hemi on a flat, open stretch."

But JD Malone & the Experts is no lame cover band butchering “Proud Mary." They are a rock-solid unit with a dynamic leader “oozing with charisma" (Sirius XM) in singer-songwriter in JD Malone (imagine, say, Bruce Springsteen if they played modified country music). And their songs, as instantly recognizable as they may seem, are all Malone originals (with the exception of excellent covers of Fogerty's “Fortunate Son" on the CD and Tom Petty's “I Should Have Known It" on the bonus live in-studio DVD).

While Malone is clearly in charge, much of Avalon's appeal comes from the remarkable chemistry of the band, including Malone (vocals, acoustic guitar), Avery Coffee (electric guitars, bg vocals), Tom Hampton (pedal and lap steel, 12-string, acoustic, resonator & electric guitars, bg vocals), Jim Miades (bass), Tommy Geddes (drums), and the extraordinary guest vocals of Jayda Hampton (especially on the beautifully wrenching “Black Yodel").

They sound like they've been preparing for this moment all their lives, listening to The Everly Brothers, CCR, BoDeans, Allman Brothers Band, Petty, et al, and crafting songs and a sound that do their heroes proud. The band is both tight (well-rehearsed but not rigid) and loose (spontaneous-sounding, not sloppy), placing equal emphasis on vocal and instrumental prowess with a good dose of twang. You'll want to cruise down the road with the windows open singing at the top of your lungs as if you were discovering “Proud Mary" for the first time on your car radio.

Visit www.ItsAboutMusic.com/JDMAlone.html and www.jdmalone.com for more info and video.

Visit Website | Purchase

For more information contact .

Comments

Tags

News

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.