The story of how Jenny Don’t got her name (her strong-willed and independent nature, often defying authority figures much to their consternation) resonated with me. I could always tell how much trouble I was in by how long my name went on (when it got to “Anddrreeww” it was time to pack in)
And if that gives her bonus points then what is included on “Broken Hearted Blue” is enough for way more.
It’s all about the ability to surprise. Right down to the cover. It looks retro – and if there is a bit of the classic country sound on “Pain In My Heart” and the likes – then that rebellious spirit that she’s always had is still right there.
Take the opener “Flying”. It doesn’t usher itself in anywhere. It kicks the door in, like some offshoot of Jason and the Scorchers. There’s enough lo-slung punk rock going on in Christopher March’s lead guitar to suggest that if they went to the Grand Ole Opry, they’d be playing the back alley with the words “Turn it up loud!” Indeed, their late drummer Sam Henry was in the mighty – and loud – Poison Idea.
And yet, this is rooted in a genuine love of the classic sound. “Jealous Heart” updates that a little, but wouldn’t have been out of place in the old days.
It’s just that JDATS aren’t arsed with playing by the rules. There’s a foreboding bass rumble to “Sidewinder” that is more Stray Cats than Dolly Parton, and “Unlucky Love” sees new drummer Buddy Weeks (he stepped in after Henry died of cancer) to the fore, along with Jenny’s sweet voice, and that is an instrument in itself, as the title track underlines.
In old money that one starts side two, but things get going with “You’re What I Need”. Fancy a trip to the honky-tonk? So does it. Let’s go.
“One More Night” will probably get its wish too – you’d imagine Jenny was persuasive – but that wild side is never too far below the surface. Garage rock bands like The Sonics could steal “My Baby’s Gone” and not look out of place, and maybe if they had love, they’d travel (as it were?) in the trailer that Don’t grew up in. The fact they are based in the Northwest rather than the Dust Bowl seems to inform the sound here, as “Bones In The Sand” makes plain one last time.
The band that puts the “Alt” back into “Alt-Country”. Spurs football team are famous for their “to dare is to do” motto. Jenny Don’t And The Spurs are far too cool for mission statements, but if they had one, that’d do to describe “Broken Hearted Blue”.
Rating 8.5/10
