Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

In CR54 The Greybearded One waxed lyrical about John Everson, a lawyer from Ohio whose hobby is making gospel music with guts, and backed up his opinions by giving a 10 square rating to 'Songs From The Basement', tracks from which made the playlists of both UCB Europe. Now JCM is back, with 12 tracks and nearly 50 minutes of more of the same. He's assembled a truly cookin' band for this one and they lay down a solid musical platform to underpin John's gritty vocals. Jack Holder's lead guitar licks are a regular highlight, but the drumming of Steve Potts and the bass of Dave Smith are the rhythmic rock on which the music stands. That having been said, there are a few slower numbers, usually backed by some fluid keyboards from Ernest Williamson, and John shows he can wring some emotion from a ballad when he needs to. A worthy followup and well worth seeking out, particularly if your tastes veer towards the Springsteen end of rock music.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.