J-200
Trip From Grace
Loose Booty Records
By William Pugatch
 The 1933 World's
Fair celebrated the hundredth birthday of the city of Chicago.
The sophomore release from J-200 features an album cover with
an envelope postmarked from July of that year, and is suitable
for a number of reasons. First, this alt-country sextet wished
to honor its Windy City home. Second, back in 1933 while the
United States was experiencing the Great Depression, Chicago
still went ahead and threw itself a huge party. Similarly, the
stories in the music of J-200 center around trials and tribulations
of struggling singers, failed relationships, and shattered dreams,
while the music is often upbeat and lighter than what you would
expect given the subject material. Finally, the theme of the
1933 exposition was "A Century of Progress," and upon
a few moments of listening to Trip From Grace, one can
immediately notice the evolution the band has undergone since
its first release, The Dark.
J-200 released its first album on their own creation, the
Loose Booty Records label. The band did the same for its second
disc, but this time traveled a thousand miles south to work with
the accomplished Mark Hallman on Congress Avenue in south Austin.
Hallman has had a successful career as a songwriter, musician,
and producer, during which time he has played session work with
Carole King and produced numerous albums for the likes of Iain
Matthews, Lyle Lovett, and Eliza Gilkyson.
It seems that having J-200 for the name of the band is quite
fitting, considering that four of the six members play guitars
on all the songs. Renée Giron is the gifted lead vocalist
and is backed by Suzanne Ecklund. Jacque Judy, who is the think
tank of the band and writes all the music, also adds his guitar-playing
talents. Steve Thomas is sure to be able to coerce a teardrop
out of you with his pedal steel playing, and Steve Ross booms
out the bass. Chris Russell consistently has the right amount
of horsepower as he drives the rhythm on drums.
The album starts with a sprightly rocker "Good Cry,"
a Tim Carroll tune that is an ode to traditional country music.
A line in the song pays homage to George Jones, and Giron sings
"My own psychoanalyst / Is on that DJ's playlist / Now I
know why / It's called a good cry / And it's helping me to get
by."
On "Still Katie," you will be convinced that Giron
sounds like she's a relative of Natalie Merchant. Even with
her vocal twang and a bit of an edge, it is Giron's timbre that
is reminiscent of the former 10,000 Maniacs lead singer.
"Caste Away" is a light waltz that features the
interplay of Giron and Ecklund's voices atop delicate acoustic
guitar strumming, snare brushes by Russell, and the accordion
talents of Hallman. The title is a pun, and the musical treatment
could make you think you were drifting in a little rowboat somewhere
out at sea (a castaway). As Giron's voice has a distinctive
sound, she needs a special voice to be able to blend well, and
Ecklund is a perfect match. At times in the song, Ecklund harmonizes
higher in pitch than Giron, and the result is amazing.
Guitarist Steve Thomas gets the spotlight at several moments
throughout the album, but the licks really abound in the aptly
named "Big Guitars." In this tune, J-200 is making
a statement about the country music business:
You said the art was what mattered
Hey Dali can you hear me sing?
The sound that the FM is playing
Makes me think that this was not
My dream
Despite the peppy instrumentations on these songs, Trip
From Grace is not chocked full of cheerful music. The chorus
of "She Said" features probably the most musically
pop-sounding moments of the album, but this song begins with
"And he said hey / Did ya ever think about dyin' / And she
said yeah / But it's the livin' that gets me down." Along
the same lines, "Seven Days" has a Cajun feel that
conjures up George Strait's "Adalida," but Giron sings
in her not-so-beautiful goodbye, "the better part of us
is me living without you."
"If I Slip" is the hidden gem of the album that
will probably receive less attention than it deserves. In this
song, we get to hear another facet of Giron's voice, a deeper
side that calls to mind the likes of Allison Moorer. She does
a great job turning on the words of the chorus. The steel guitar
in this piece is beautiful and heart tugging, sure to transport
you to a higher place. The name of the album actually comes
out of the song's chorus.
If I stand
For something
I'm sure you're gonna
Make me fall
If I trip from your grace again
I'm sure it'll be
My own damn fault
I think I might need a change
I think I might run away
I think I feel a little strange
The one that's left
Just left today.
J-200 is currently an alt-country outfit, but prior to its
current makeup, the band has played quite a diversity of styles
ranging from punk to mainstream country to pop. One of the things
they do really well is honky-tonk, which they showcase on "Broke."
This is a two-minute rockabilly number that features guitar
runs like those you might hear in "Rock This Town"
by the Stray Cats.
In "Slowly," a woman confesses to cheating on her
husband and decides that in the end it is best just to leave
behind her entire shattered life. The title refers to how she
is going to "slowly turn back to the bottle."
I guess I owe an explanation
All I ask is your concentration
Listen close
This is how it's gotta be
You weren't there and he said some things
About no kids and no golden rings
I guess I'm sorry
This is all what's best for me
It is interesting that the analogy of falling for another
man is made with the simile "Just as Niagara Falls,"
because the falls are the quintessentially perfect honeymoon
spot for those who have found love, not lust.
Unfortunately, there is no bonus track to raise your spirits
after you plunge down the falls with J-200, but if you leave
your CD playing in your car, you will loop right back into "Good
Cry" and you will be ready to start the experience over
again. And you will want to. See, Mark Hallman knows what he
is doing.
* To learn more about the next big thing that's sure to sweep
you away just like the windy city it hails from, log on to www.j-200.com.
Finally, we will no longer have to think of Peter Cetera when
Chicago comes to mind!
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