Denney and the Jets – Mexican Coke

Denney and the Jets
Mexican Coke
Burger Records/Limited Fanfare
★★★

Somewhere between late ‘60s era Rolling Stones and Rock *a* Teens lies Denny and the Jets. An appropriate Burger Records group, you are not quite sure if the band is being sarcastic about the homage or serious, but what I can affirm is that they channel the sound of the genre really, really well!

Not to say that I am really excited about this album. Okay, at first I was because “Water To Wine” is a fantastic song. The bounce, the call and response, it’s a blending of Motown meets the mop top and if you did not know better, I dare you to do a blind taste test and tell me how many people guess this song is current.

Denny and the Jets – Bye Bye Queen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2O7791klcQ

However, the passion dies away after so long. “Darlin’,” a unrequited love song that lacks the passion of what I consider a passionless early rock period, would take a lot to strike the charge in current times or a complete or an utter breakdown that would make you want to start slitting wrists, and I see neither in this song. The song seems to drag along like a limp body.

“Alabama Man” is as good as any Creedence Clearwater Revival song while “Hooked” is so hooked on the Stones it’s almost too much on how obsessive the style is. The light here is “Mama’s Got The Blues,” which powers up an early ‘70s noisy reprise of rock. It brings back the baffling feeling of just how good this band nestles themselves back in that world of bluesy, tight-jeaned suede rock.

I guess you have to start somewhere and “Pain Pills” harks back to when Chris Denney would steal them from his Grandma’s medicine cabinet. Keep it up and we may eventually see your Black and Blue era Denney and the Jets.