Cool Cleveland Sounds
Jukebox Manifesto
Roger Hoover & the Whiskeyhounds
self published

Heralding a bands sound as informed by a venerable whos who of roots-rock legends can get you into trouble. Usually, the fans of that bandnot to mention fans of the legends themselvesdisagree with you. The late Jeff Buckley once told me that music critics are dishonest that way, and that going into some sort of name-dropping rapture is a shortcut to thinking. Our 13-year-old tête-à-tête still gets me self-conscious sometimes.

All that said, I have no misgivings in uttering the names Cash, Dylan, Earle, Robertson, Springsteen, Westerberg and Waits in the same breath as Roger Hoover & the Whiskeyhounds. Lovers of raw, rustic rock and candid songwriting already find solace in the local quintet. And most are fans of the aforementioned roll call, too. If youre not familiar, Hoovers warm, grizzled and husky-toned vocals pair well with the group's layers of anthemic eloquence. You are sure to be lured in, only to have your heart split wide open.

The critically-acclaimed outfits third long-player Jukebox Manifesto is a rootsy and mature blend of country, rock and blues, with sagacious narratives on love and loss to match. Arrangements are intuitive, layered with accordion, lap steel and dirty, moonlit guitar jangle. Choruses and side-winding refrains create a bona-fide honkytonk vibe, one that shoots as much from the gut as it does from the hip.

Whiskeyhounds keyboardist Justin Gorski made a funny, off-handed comment to me recently, suggesting call me when you can download cheeseburgers. To that end, Jukebox Manifesto honors the album in album-oriented rock. And its nothing if not a complete album experience. From the rollicking Cobblestone Road and Steve Earle-like Inside His Devil Grin, to more plaintive tracks like Down By the Riverside and Anna Lee, this oeuvre is great by track-by-track, though better consumed as a whole. Undoubtedly, you'll do just that.