Jay Clark And The Jones

Two earlier efforts from these Toronto, ON-based roots rockers (Grenville County Blues and Home Fires Burning) scored national CBC and campus play, and Blue Cholera deserves equal exposure. The presence of two singers/songwriters/guitarists in the group (Jay Clark Reid and Ian Philp) is a clear strength, while such able accompanists as drummer Sean Dignan (Suckerpunch), bassist Bobby Spencer, keyboardist Jack Breakfast and multi-instrumentalist Andy Magoffin make strong contributions. Magoffin co-produced and recorded this at his renowned House of Miracles studio, with predictably fine results. Blue Rodeo are an undeniable reference/comparison point on songs like "Anastasia" and full-blooded closing track "Sevens," and there is a similarly strong and accessible melodic sense at work throughout the band. The album's somewhat dark title refers, in Reid's words, to "the end of the working class and simpler times." His group's social commentary is certainly timely, as in the references to Research in Motion and the "let's hang those zombies on Wall Street" line in "Neighbours," but there is nothing bleak or depressing about their sound. This is a solid achievement.