On September 15th, Americana folk quintet JD & The Straight Shot released their sixth studio album entitled “Good Luck And Good Night”, where it was produced by Copely at Soundstage Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. This band is beyond ready to be heard by the masses.
JD & The Straight Shot is composed of vocalist/guitarist Jim Dolan, guitarist Marc Copely, bassist Byron House, violinist/fiddler Erin Slaver, and Shawn Pelton on the drums/percussion. They are described to be influenced by the harmonies and classic rock feel of groups like Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, however, throw some Irish folk music and elements of country and classical music in there and you get JD & The Straight Shot.
This extremely vibrant record starts off with the track “Redemption Train”. From a lyrical standpoint, it does a great job of mixing blues,classic rock, and gospel elements into the mix and House really delivers on groove and the bass in this track. Dolan has such a strong voice that mixes elements of Tom Waits and Randy Newman, and Dolan and Slaver’s voice really harmonizes extremely well. This band definitely pays attention to their arrangements and to their vocal harmonies. Slaver’s fiddle really stands out in the instrumental break. Not even halfway through the song, and each band member gets to shine in the spotlight, in my view, that takes real talent for a band to accomplish that.
In the next track entitled “Ballad Of Jacob Marley”, there is a mix of bluegrass, folk, and a country-fried twist into the music, where the fiddle and the banjo really stand out, along with the vocal harmonies of Dolan and Slaver. Pelton does an incredible job of adding what he does on the percussion in this track. In this track, they revisit the Christmas classic story of “A Christmas Story” by Charles Dickens and sings about the woes and perils of greed from a personal and corporate standpoint. The melodies in “Moonlight” really soar and showcases a softer side of JD & The Straight Shot.
I must point out the two cover songs in this album. The first cover song is how they have a completely different take of “Shambala”, originally done by Three Dog Night, which really showcases their harmonies and shows that JD & The Straight Shot really balance their talent with the entertainment factor in their music. The other cover was in tribute to their personal recently departed friend Glenn Frey of The Eagles, with the song “It’s Your World Now”. The cover is really heartfelt and a nice tribute to their departed friend.
If you want the pinnacle of Americana music, then look no further than “Good Luck and Good Night” by JD & The Straight Shot.k This album is a masterful blend of songwriting, arrangements, musicianship, and harmony. Madness To Creation rates this album 10 out of 10 stars. It is easy to see why this band has shared the staged with the Eli Young Band, The Doobie Brothers, and Chicago recently. It’s also easy to see why they’ve shared the stage with The Eagles, Jewel, Keith Urban, and Dixie Chicks. Check out the track listing below.
- Redemption Train
- Ballad Of Jacob Marley
- Moonlight
- I Know You Know I Know
- Run For Me
- Shambala(Three Dog Night cover)
- Good Luck and Good Night
- Tonight
- It’s Your World Now(The Eagles cover)
- Never Alone
“Run For Me” video
Check out JD & The Straight Shot at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/jdandthestraightshot
