Bob Jordan, 'The Country That Never Was'
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Bob Jordan The Country That Never Was
Sal Magundi
ESSENTIAL "Turnaround"
A student of Zappa and Dylan and classmates with Michael Hurley, Eugene Chadbourne, and Bruce Hampton, native son Bob Jordan has been twisting up folk, rock, and freak-out music for nearly 40 years. His path through numerous lo-fi recordings and varied concert settings has led to "The Country That Never Was," Jordan's most assured and best-produced album yet. Jordan rides the rails of honky-tonk and Tex-Mex looking for something real among the artificial, and ultimately feels like an outsider for the effort. On "Icebreaker," Jordan wants simply to carve a market niche for a psychedelic cowboy in the land of Aerosmith. Jordan effectively locks together diverse covers and adaptations of songs by Joni Mitchell ("Urge for Going"), Sorrells Pickard ("60 Dollar Draw," adjusted up from the $15 it was when Ringo Starr covered the tune), and Michael Nesmith ("Harmony Constant"). Jordan may have a mischievous musical mind, but ultimately he respects the music he uses for his mischievous ways. (Out now, available through www.myspace.com/vitaminbobjordan) SCOTT McLENNAN 