Jesse Dayton - Country Soul Brother (2004)

One doesn't necessarily think of country and soul as two complementary styles, but anyone with a long memory will know that country -- at its outset -- worked hand in hand with the blues. So Jesse Dayton's idea of combining Southern fiddles and B-3 organ on a dozen songs isn't all that radical after all. He kicks off the album with the title track, a rollicking fun song about life on the road. As with the tracks that follow, Dayton and the band keep things tight and focused, seldom venturing beyond the three-minute mark. The arrangements, while delivering something one might call "country-soul," vary enough from song to song to keep the album from becoming predictable. There's accordion on "All Because of You," acoustic fingerpicking on "Jesus Pick Me Up," and harmonica on "Ain't Grace Amazing." Dayton also shows how easy it is to turn a rock song like the Cars' "Just What I Needed" into a bluesy bit of country. With the exception of "Just What I Needed," Dayton has written all of the material, and to top everything else off, he's a solid, versatile singer. For anyone interested in a soulful country album that never seems alternative, but likewise wouldn't be confused with contemporary Nashville, Country Soul Brother will fit the bill.