Call Me Your Man

Rock ‘n’ roll from a Brooklyn transplant in Memphis

     

Jump Back Jake is a group headed up by guitarist Jake Rabinbach of Francis and the Lights. Their 2008 debut Brooklyn Hustle / Memphis Muscle combined the rock ‘n’ roll of Rabinbach’s native Brooklyn with the soul, horns and funk of his adopted Memphis. The band’s latest EP drops the horns and follows in the footsteps of melodic New York rock ‘n’ rollers like Willie Nile and the Del Lords. There’s a lot of variety packed into these five tracks, including the power-pop “Tara” and rampaging blues-rockabilly “If I Ever Go Back.” The dramatic “Rose Colored Coffin” threatens a ‘70s rock odyssey with its opening riff, but settles into a more tractable heavy electric blues. The title track is performed twice, first as rock ‘n’ soul and at EP’s end as a solo acoustic folk-blues. Rabinbach comes alive on the rock tunes, cutting scorching riffs on his guitar and allowing a touch of rasp into his voice, charting a new direction for his band that doesn’t miss the horns at all. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]