antiMusic.com: Jangling Sparrows

Jangling Sparrows - 140 Nickels

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Jangling Sparrows are a rocking, Americana-leaning band led by singer, guitarist and songwriter Paul Edelman. The head Sparrow likes to tell tales of everyman as he does with the blue collar rock (think John Mellencamp) of "Burning a Hole," but Edelman also has a delightful ability to sound a little unhinged like he does on parts of the Little Feat-recalling swamp rock of "Look Away Twice." He's a bit wild in a different way on the weepy and subdued "Take Home Your Coat" where he purposely pushes his voice to near cracking as he relates the misery of lost love. Many will hear Steve Earle in "Great American Limbo" and like Earle, Edelman demonstrates a penchant in the song for eloquently relating how it feels to be at a personal crossroad, and pick some fine acoustic guitar while doing so. The rollicking "Cheaper Down the Road" boogies along like a big rig driver hopped up on whites, and while the lyrics relate to actually being on the road, Edelman's vocals make it seem like the song is metaphor for a lot more than looking for cheap gas, food and lodging. The Jangling Sparrows are not new on the scene but they are likely to earn lots of new fans with this set of heartfelt and fun music.

Jangling Sparrows - 140 Nickels
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