Review: JD McPherson - Let the Good Times Roll
By Garrett Bower, Staff Writer
[Rounder; 2015]
Rating: 4.5/10
Key Track: “Bossy”
It may be 56 years since the music died but that hasn’t stopped Oklahoma singer-songwriter JD McPherson from releasing his sophomore rockabilly album, brashly titled Let The Good Times Roll. But hey, it’s 2015, what was old is new again and everyone is a bona fide nostalgia fiend, so what’s wrong with an album hopping in a time-machine and refusing to hop out until the first sight of malt shakes and jukeboxes?
To set the mood for this journey, the titular track comes right out with a low, bouncy riff and tapping drums that sound warm and open. McPherson demonstrates vocal prowess, sounding like the scrappy and charismatic kid who always cleans up at the talent show and helped break that no dancing law in Footloose. The lyrics themselves are pretty benign, mostly just an alternating chant of, “Let the sky open up little darling / Let the good times roll.”
This first track makes it clear that McPherson is no collector of influences but is instead a purist. Unlike contemporaries like The White Stripes and The Black Keys who may borrow and build on the roots of their forefather’s genre, McPherson is here simply to imitate. Despite how true and convincing McPherson may be in this pantomime, it can’t save the tracks from feeling stale.
Songs like “Bossy” show promise with soft, sweet notes that roll in like a babbling brook, sounding more folk tinted at the outset. However, as McPherson’s vocal work comes in, the innovation is scared off as the track reverts back into the jukebox shaking style of the rest of the album.
These tracks are at least salvaged by the fun intent and dance-worthy composition. On a more serious note, McPherson slows it down for the narcoleptic ballad “Bridgebuilder.” McPherson sings of making connections with a new lover over the turbulent waters of former loss and mistrust. The metaphor is at least somewhat fresh but the song is downright boring. There is a nice little guitar break at the end that sounds like it was placed simply to wake up any snoozing listeners.
The real shame is that the album does sound admittedly very strong as far as production and instrumentation go. McPherson expresses a great deal of diversity vocally and arrangements vary greatly, so even though the album stays in the same stale era, it is at least kind enough to show off a few of the kids’ favorite haunts around town. Production feels frighteningly vintage, to the point that it could probably pass for some greatest hits remastering of an album from the time.
Perhaps with a bit of innovation, McPherson could become a force in the exciting new wave of rock music. His vocal work and ear for catchy arrangement clearly indicate room to grow. As it stands with Let The Good Times Roll, McPherson is likely to be an artist lost in time.
