Cadillac Jack's #1 Son
Coming from North Louisiana, Kevin Gordon inherited the sound of Jerry Lee Lewis's rockabilly as a sort of birthright, yet he knew the dangers of simply copying that sound as if nothing had changed in 40 years. On his first full-length album, Gordon marries his twangy, catchy guitar riffs to lyrics that capture the voice of Southern, working-class whites, with the focus and economy of John Prine or Iris DeMent. The bouncy organ riffs recall producer Gary Tallent's old employer, Bruce Springsteen, who reinvented early rock 'n' roll in similar ways. Yet Gordon more closely resembles Dave Alvin, who also overcame vocal limitations with twitchy hillbilly guitar licks and with characters who were more realistic than heroic. The year's most underrated debut.--Geoffrey Himes