Depending on who you ask, Los Angeles band Shurman is either the next Old 97’s, Drive-By Truckers or Son Volt. Maybe all three, given the quartet’s glossy pop melodies, southern rock twang ‘n’ churn, and Farrar-esque vocals (courtesy founder Aaron Beavers).
Such expectations may be a tad high. Jubilee — which includes some material redone from Shurman’s two previous EPs — is still the sound of a baby band trying to find its identity. There’s some undeniably strong material here, notably the wistful twanger “Stay” (which contains the unforgettable couplet “In my dreams you’re a beautiful painting/But I just can’t remember which number’s blue”) and riotous rave-up “I Got You (Part 3)”, a marriage of Bo Diddley, the Yardbirds and Tom Petty.
It’s probably a bad move, however, to name a song after one of those folks. “Petty Song” is one of those hackneyed we-formed-a-band-now-we’re-out-on-this-ole-highway numbers, and its harmonica/guitar motif is strictly roots-rock by committee.
Further, godawful lyrical cliches dot this record like pimples on a 14-year-old. There’s “I’m drownin’ in you” (from, naturally, “Drownin'”), “the sky is gonna fall” (the Dwight Yoakam-ish “Red Eyes”), and “I’m leavin’ this here town” (“Tonight I’m Drinking” — they can’t even resist tapping a cliche for the title).
But get past these shortcomings, and at the core is a band with obvious commercial potential — one that, if provided a firm editorial hand on their next album, just might approach those high expectations.
