Jet Black & Jealous (CD - 2008)

Personnel: Mike Wrucke (guitar, banjo, background vocals); James "Jockey" Young (guitar, mandolin, harmonica); Blu Sanders (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Erik Herbst (baritone guitar); Chris Carmichael (strings); Rick Brantley (harmonica); Fred Eltringham (percussion); Vince Barnhart (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Mike Wrucke.

Recording information: Dark Horse Recording, Franklin, TN; Omnisound Studio, Nashville, TN; Panhandle House, Denton, TX; Wrucke's House, Nolensville, TN.

Photographer: Kristin Barlowe.

Welcome to a study of the blurred line between rock and country circa 2008. On the same day that Hootie & the Blowfish's Darius Rucker released a country album, the Texas-bred Eli Young Band released JET BLACK & JEALOUS, displaying a contemporary country sound that feels like it's influenced by '90s roots-rockers like Hootie & the Blowfish. Led by singer Mike Eli and guitarist James Young, the band pounds out solid country-rock that strikes a balance between grit and gloss for a warm and organic sound that's still unfailingly radio-ready.

Fans of Rascal Flatts and other slick, harmony-drenched country groups will find much to enjoy about the Eli Young Band, whose songs borrow from rock and pop without ever fully exiting the country camp. The flagship track on this major-label debut is "When It Rains," a holdover from the band's independent release in 2005. Like the other 11 songs found on Jet Black & Jealous, the revamped version of "When It Rains" gleams with commercial sheen, from its polished vocals to the crisp mix of banjo, pedal steel, and electric guitar. Yet there's also a fiery quality to the song, whose twang is balanced by a set of Nashville-gothic lyrics ("It's good to see the world in pain when I take a walk outside") and rock & roll undercurrents. In fact, such moments are the real highlights of Jet Black & Jealous. This isn't country music in the tractor-driving, American flag-waving sense; it's country music with pop production and rock muscle, and the album sounds its strongest while occupying the three-way intersection between those genres. "Radio" is tailor-made for its titular medium, "Always the Love Songs" borrows an intro from the Wallflowers' "6th Avenue Heartache," and "Throw and Go" is a dark, dangerous rock song in cowboys' clothing. Jet Black & Jealous thrives on that contrast, and the Eli Young Band's official debut is promising indeed. ~ Andrew Leahey minimize