Hey, not bad for a mechanic. Jack Logan has undoubtedly heard that one before, but there is something to be said for albums recorded for the sheer joy of the experience. Logan made a lot of hay in his early days by not quitting his day job, and not even seeming to want to. He’s always been a prolific writer, and has thrown a glut of material into release without a lot of hand-wringing or soul-searching. Even his most produced effort, 1999’s Buzz Me In, seemed devoid of commercial aspirations. Logan would no doubt welcome success in if it showed up at his Georgia back door, but he’s not spending his nights out poking around for it.
On his intriguing new album Monkey Paw, he sings his disembodied melodies with a relaxation that rivals Perry Como (“sings” is probably too generous; he has a concept of pitch all his own). Meanwhile, his band pounds through slow-to-medium off-key dirges ranging from rusty-saw country to bent psycho blues.
So it’s the songs that make this work? Umm, not entirely. Logan forgoes his usual co-writers this time out, and when held to scrutiny, few of these simple tunes hold up on their own as anything remarkable. There’s no reason the whole should add up to be greater than the sum of its parts, but on the droning kiss-off title track, “Ain’t It A Shame About This World”, “Scared Of The Police”, “Glass Eye Blues”, and the weird closing droner, that’s what happens. The fun and loose approach made its way into these tracks. As for the others, a couple of more rehearsals wouldn’t have hurt.