Dave Jordan is best known as the singer and bassist in the venerable jam band Juice. But his music has another side, which comes to full light with his new solo record, These Old Boots.
This album, which Jordan co-produced with Anders Osborne, features a mid-tempo collections of original songs, with one cover by John Prine, and a beguiling production that puts acoustic guitars and strong vocals front and center.
Osborne has been wearing a producer’s hat on a regular basis lately and here he also adds strong work on the slide guitar. However, he puts the searing technique that his fans are used to in his live performances on the back burner in favor of tasteful flourishes that serve the rich nuances of the production.
Many of the songs have a country flavor and a melancholy that recalls some of the best classic music from the 1970s particularly Gram Parsons and the Band without being derivative. The pedal steel guitar work of Dwight Breeland and the violin of Harry Hardin add to the mood that the producers have crafted.
Jordan can clearly rock with the best as evidenced by his work with Juice. Yet, his songs in this stripped down, acoustic format show an inner strength and awareness of the foibles of the human condition. He has surrounded himself with sympathetic players who help convey the emotions within the tunes.
