Jada Blade
Clean Water

With the crest of '80s revivalism still on the horizon somewhere, it's not so surprising anymore to hear a band like Knoxville's Jada Blade make music redolent of Reagan/Bush-era Big Rock, from grimy L.A. street metal to the more pristine sounds of mass-appeal arena mavens like Night Ranger and Heart. But if we grant that there really are a few guilty pleasures to be had from revisiting mousse-rock—and most retro fixations are staked on that premise—the problem with Jada Blade's latest platter Clean Water is that it largely misses out on all the things that (at least occasionally) made those overdriven raunch-riffs, wheedly guitar solos, and castrato vocals fun.

Clean Water is especially well-conceived for a local release, with guest appearances from a host of stellar Knoxville musicians (guitarist Travis Wyrick, formerly of Sage fame, and bassist Adam Bucco of L.I.F.E., to name but two), sterling production values, and generally air-tight vocal and instrumental performances. And maybe all of that is part of the problem; Clean Water is almost too clean, bereft of all the grit and boozy, swaggering flair that is the sine qua non of metal and all its derivatives.

The opening track "Coming Home," for instance, is tuneful and lush, with powerful acoustic leads (presumably courtesy of Wyrick) and a cleverly interwoven bass line. But without either a truly convincing hook or any sense of visceral urgency, the song never rises above the level of prettified pop rock, a whole equal to less than the sum of its parts. And on the album's too-numerous ballads—mushy numbers with names like "Without You" and "Time Is Passing You By"—the promise is never really there, as the band's rock instincts are wholly subsumed in a weepy fog of maudlin sentiment.

Three songs in particular—"Communication Evil," "That's Love," and "Beg, Borrow, and Steal"—expose the heart of Jada Blade's problem; all three tracks begin with nasty, hyper-distorted, appealingly lewd guitar grooves...grooves that are ultimately subverted by overly sweet vocals and lyrical banalities. On "Communication Evil" especially, the goofy, near-nonsensical refrain (It's a communication evil!) sounds limp and silly over the squealing, mud-caked riff that stages it.

Jada Blade has their strengths—musicianship, generally smart songcraft, and the singer's (Leslie Swim?) clean, melodious (albeit occasionally inappropriate) croon. What they lack is a sense of abandon, a willingness to surrender (at least musically speaking) to some of their baser instincts. Maybe if they title the next platter Dirty Water?

Hot Summer Nights' Hot Opener

In keeping with the festival frenzy which grips the Southeast every year during the spring, A.C. Entertainment has scheduled a two-day concert extravaganza to kick off the annual Hot Summer Nights series at World's Fair Park on May 1 and 2. "With the spring music festivals going on all around us, we couldn't resist the opportunity to hold one in downtown Knoxville," says A.C. head Ashley Capps. To compete with the Nashville River Stages Festival and Midtown Music in Atlanta that same weekend, A.C. has booked a stellar list of big-name acts, including Shawn Colvin, Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck, Ben Folds Five, Gran Torino, Koko Taylor, Robert Earl Keen, Junior Brown, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Jolene, and Leftover Salmon. And, as part of the Hot Summer Nights series, the festival will raise money for the East Tennessee Foundation. Like all the other festivals, this one has a decidedly rootsy flavor, but there's more than enough variety among performers to provide interest to nearly anybody. And some of the normal hassles of festival weekends—long road trips, full hotels, unfamiliar surroundings—will have disappeared. Now if only they can do something about those port-a-john lines...

Semi-Pumped

The honky-tonkin' harmonies of the lost and much-lamented Satellite Pumps rang through Barley & Hopps again on April 1, to the delight of both the band and their fans. The show was "a one-time deal, just to see what it feels like," according to guitarist Harlowe Starrbuck, and there's no immediate plan for a reunion. But hopes that the Pumps' dissolution turns into a temporary hiatus were given some shoring-up that night.

And Now, in Politics...

In our recent music page story on Knoxville's 30 Amp Fuse (March 26-April 2), it was stated, on the authority of band founder/singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Smithers, that former 30AF bassist Mike Knott and drummer Rodney Cash were fired from the band last year due to musical and personal differences.

It seems that Msr. Knott, who still lives in these parts, takes some exception to the facts as stated. Knott called us the other day and stated for the record that both he and Cash had been unhappy with their lot in 30 Amp and that their departures were not truly firings but were generally agreed upon by all parties. David Gale, a spokesman for the band's former label, Dedicated, couldn't confirm either situation, but believed, at least in Knott's case, that the departure was mostly instigated by bandleader Smithers. In the meantime, Smithers stands by his original assertion.

Now that we've dutifully stated all sides, let's let sleeping dogs lie.

—Zippy "I Wish I Were >a Sleeping Dog" McDuff