Jacoozy - Still Afloat (2025) Hi-Res

This is the North Carolina 5-piece band’s debut. They get off to a good start with the funky guitar chiming Southern rock of “Don’t Leave Nothing Behind,” which adds a splash of organ that doesn’t date their sound. It enhances it. The unified vocals are a bit vintage Doobie Brothers in tradition, & had the Doobie’s merged with the instrumentation of The Allman Brothers Band, you’d have Jacoozy.

But most importantly, they don’t have a retro sound. They have a refreshing sound to their showcase. The first tune has a wonderful jam-style workout that really smokes, & for this Baby Boomer’s ears it locks in & could’ve gone on for another 3 minutes.

The 7-track propulsion of Still Afloat switches gears on “Spilling” with a little more echo on the single lead vocal, dressed up in more funky mixtures slowed down to a jazzy tempo. Good drum work & interplay between instruments. The song has a good groove & isn’t soulful enough to be considered a soul song, but has the necessary ingredients to become so. Exceptional keyboard work frames the composition with sophistication. This isn’t an off-the-wall jam band but musicians who know their place between guitar strings, keyboards & skins.

The Grateful Dead are no more, but some bands understand the circuitry. Jacoozy certainly has the amps (play on words). The issue? Not eccentric enough yet, & they seem not to know how to end a song like “Spilling” properly. The song smokes, then abruptly ends. They should fade out the jam or, like Derek & the Dominoes’ “Layla,” switch to a finale with a lovely piano melody after the guitars peel the paint from the walls. That’s the drama that’s needed. Or, like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s classic “East-West” reach a crescendo with all instruments firing on all cylinders & then have one distinct musician (Paul’s harmonica on “East-West”) hit the high concluding note. This song by Jacoozy has the necessary muscle. It needs to flex.

“My Old Friend” isn’t as compelling as the first 2 songs, but when it goes into its instrumental break, ears will perk up. Good atmosphere, but still a little adrift & not as electrifying. “Hurry” is a good one. The arrangement is tight, but there’s little magic in the vocal intonation, phrasing & inflection. The instrumental break dominates with exceptional playing, dominating drum beats & interesting sound. With “Early” & without horns Jacoozy runs a slender finger across the glass of the original Average White Band (“Pickin’ Up the Pieces”). The band is tight as always with their accomplished performance, & far better vocal approach.