Relying on a shimmering crush of Beatles/Byrds riffs, the Jazz Butcher is beginning to sound more like Robyn Hitchcock with every release. "Condition Blue" is a sweet confection--the word "nice" keeps popping in my head--of smart pop songs with cleverly twisted lyrics, ringing guitars, and sad sax solos; a poppy kind of music that's slightly nostalgic and still hip. " Racheland " is pretty swell, in a pop/chamber music kind of way, with its hooky, building intensity that recalls (favorably) Yo La Tengo and Go-Betweens. Nothing else really gets to me. On " Our Friends The Filth ," the Butch tries unsuccessfully to get with the latest psychedelic dance craze. And on one sad occasion (" Girls Say Yes "), he even sounds like an Al Stewart clone. Yipes! Overall, the Jazz Butcher's music remains clever, but not passionate; played well, but not with feeling. It's...nice. (Sky, 6400 Atlantic Blvd. #220, Norcross, GA 30071)

Condition Blue

For all the pain and crap from which this record was made, the actual sessions were a gigantic and wonderful party. This was warmly received by The Outside World, less popular among those who counted themselves JBC afficionados. This IS the sound of me having fun, and getting me to do that in those dark days of mid-1991 was no small job.

creation_records, sky_records LP;CD