Search - Jesse Colin Young :: On the Road

The other Young

running_man | Chesterfield Twp., MI | 02/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'On the Road' is one of Jesse Colin Young's finest, and Jesse Colin Young is one of the best of a slew of talented folk-rock (with a dash of jazz thrown in) artists who emerged out of California in the late 1960's. The tracks are drawn from at least five different concerts at five different venues in predictable places such as Seattle, Portland, and Reno, Young's preferred stomping grounds. The recording is vibrant and Young is at the peak of his popularity for his solo career (his prior stint with The Youngbloods produced, arguably, as much if not more quality material). The selections feature a mix of Young's better compositions (although more, and even some better numbers could have been chosen... who's to say whether Young intended this live disc to also serve as a 'best of' production?), and a handful of well-chosen covers.



'On the Road' opens with 'Sunlight', a signature JCY track, which is greeted with applause from its opening strains. A lilting flute surrounds Young's dreamy, memorable vocals lines, culminating in the chorus with the familiar "that's the way she feels about you..." Other signature tracks include 'Miss Hesitation', at 6:25 one of three numbers that glean nearly half of the running time on this fifty minute collection. Young tips his hat that this is a tongue-in-cheek composition by introducing it with "What a wonderful world this would be... if all my sexual fantasies came true..." The lyrics prod 'Miss Hesitation' into suggestive rhymes such as "quiet conversation" and "sweet sensations", among other delights. The centerpiece of the disc finds itself right of center, opening on track eight with a three minute exposition of rising and falling crescendos, before settling into the funky lead guitar of 'Ridgetop'. This epic runs all of twelve minutes, exploring the peculiarities of life in the central California foothills with the "hill folk". The jazz-rock foundation of the number supports lyrics such as "it's lonesome and peaceful and you know I like it that way", and one of JCY's few forays into an extended lead guitar solo. He's no Eric Clapton, but his licks are crisp, well-rehearsed, and given their rarity, ear-catching.



Four covers are offered, the first a worthy effort on one of the most dynamic songs of the psychedelic era, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On/Mercy Mercy Me". Young's instrumental ensemble is well-appointed to the task at hand, but unfortunately no one will ever better Mr. Gaye's own tretise on this composition. Taj Mahal's bouncy, romantic pop romp, 'Corinna' follows, and in only 3 1/2 minutes also affords Young the opportunity to introduce the band. Then on track seven, we have Randy Newman's 'Have You Seen My Baby'. Beginning with this track, there is no let-up as the disc heads into the home streatch. This boogie-rock track tells a "it's been so long since my gal's been gone" tale in a take-no-prisoners mindset. Speaking of finishes, the disc winds up with 'Ridgetop' and one more cover, the 'T-Bone Shuffle', courtesy of T-Bone Walker. It's a fine foot-stomping closer that runs over six minutes, features a bridge with Young scat singing to his own lead guitar runs, and familiar lyrics such as "let your hair down people, and we'll have a natural ball".



Tracks two and three are less distinguished JCY compositions. 'Walkin' Off the Blues' is jazz-blues fusion, featuring peppy horn work from Jim Rothermel, a brief bass solo from David Hayes, and a ticky-tack piano courtesy of Scott Lawrence. 'Peace Song' follows, a somewhat predictable Vietnam-era song, but with lyrics such as "the sounds of war are dyin'" and "sisters and brothers... we gotta stop killing one another", certainly apropo to nearly any era.



Don't expect any extra's with this disc. The front insert is one sheet of quality photo paper, and despite three listings of the song titles, we're not told which tracks are drawn from which venues. For some reason this 1995 version that I happened upon seems in short supply, and so the price on it has skyrocketed, but I don't believe it possesses any notable advantages over the other printings offered here at Amazon. Grab one of them though, and give it a listen. I'd be surprised if everyone didn't find something to like here."

Jesse Colin Young "On the Road"

Cynthia J. Heinz | Roseville, Michigan USA | 06/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you happen to be a Jesse Colin Young fan or not this album

is a must for anyone's musical collection. The songs he writes

are straight from the heart pure and natural. His voice is as soothing as can be and his band is outstanding!

Once you get into it, let's just say it's is pure sunlight!"