Jackpot
“ F+”
(26/04/04 Surfdog)

This is the fourth full length album from this breed of sombre Californian rockers who pretty much continue from where they left off. Title of the opener; ‘Adventures Galore’ sounds like it was extracted from Dolf De Datsun’s book of provocative song titles. However, the reality is that it is a dingy and reflective number helped along by Rusty Miller’s mix of John Squire, Mark E Smith and Bob Dylan

pronounced vocals. The old groan about you not being able to hear the lyrics is emphatically denounced with this track. Jackpot are quite bold in ‘Black Road’, as they experiment with electro instrumentals while Rusty applies a bluesy rock vocal style that is associated with Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The blues genre is delved into several times almost making it the predominant genre. The five minute whiner; ‘Headlights’ being a prime example of this and is reminiscent of the country bluesy gems that they play in old fashioned movies as the weary traveller bids adieu to another town, leaving a broken heart behind. ‘Windshield Wipers’ is lyrically very upbeat, but Miller’s vocals sound laboured and almost one dimensional as he fails to give the track the lift you feel that it was intended to have. “F+” exudes honesty and emotion that makes Jackpot’s music intriguing at times, but they fail to inspire anything more than a passing fancy.

www.jackpotswebsite.com
www.surfdog.com

David Adair