Sass Jordan redux

I’ve been in a major Sass Jordan mode for the past several days.

It’s kind of bittersweet, because I think part of it is that I’m making peace with the fact that musically, she’s pretty far down a road now that I don’t much care about.  (Not that being a Sass Jordan fan in Alabama isn’t lonely enough.)

I blogged favorably about Get What You Give, and I still enjoy it some, but it hasn’t burned in with me long-term like her earlier stuff has.  From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, which came out late last year, feels like a continuation of that record to me.  It’s a James Taylorish place that, when I listen to it, constantly reminds me that it isn’t what she used to do.

For me, the four-album run from 1988’s Tell Somebody through 1998’s Present is the heart of her excellence.  It’s power pop, then roots rock, then pissed-off roots rock with a splash of grunge, and finally a mellower turn, but still with enough guts to reverberate.

I found this killer “Make You a Believer” on YouTube this afternoon.  This is the first track on 1992’s Racine, performed at a Toronto festival in 2003, with the inimitable Jeff Healey (RIP) absolutely wailing on a solo.  Enjoy.

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