Jammy Man - Tunes (2025)

This is the Colorado ensemble’s 4th LP, comprised of 2 brothers with birthnames so boring they switched to Tumbly Tumbler (fiddle/pedal steel/harmonica/electric guitar/dobro/harmony/lead vocal) & Jammy Man (guitars/lead & harmony vocals).

The whoppingly heavy 17-song rock, blues, & country-inspired package Tunes (Dropped Oct 31/Independent/74:31) was produced with a “hippie” touch by Paul Trunko & recorded in Golden, CO. There are 12 studio cuts with 3 bonus live tracks & 2 separate mixes of “America.”

The album kicks off with a cover of The Box Tops/Joe Cocker classic “The Letter.” It’s a faithful cover, but doesn’t have the Alex Chilton or Joe Cocker magic that the Wayne Carson tune originally had. What Jammy Man does have is an interesting organ solo & buzzing ’60s lead guitar solo, which makes the Jammy Jam rendition a worthy interpretation decades after its first appearance.

The lead vocals are assertive on “I Just Want To Live” by Rascal E. Racoon. On his sole vocal spotlight, he doesn’t have a lack of soul, & though the song is standard in inception, its groove is well defined. It has a generous Houston-soul/funky orientation ala Archie Drell (“Tighten Up”). For some, this type of music is nostalgic. Whereas “Jump the Fence,” sung by Jammy Man, is an energetic, muscular jump-blues performance in the Cab Calloway tradition. Quite good.

The group’s ability to trade off into a different genre effectively is obvious with the country-flavored “Mind.” This is quite good with the light fiddle & emotional heft of the melody. This is actually an excellent number that doesn’t go well with the name of the group & therein lies the possibility of this fine song getting lost or ignored by country radio.

More rollicking is the energetic “Up To the Stars.” This rocks with Ron the Bear’s superb rhythm & blues/soul lead vocalizing. It almost has a Sly & the Family Stone embodiment. Lots of piercing instrumentation is going on & yet the arrangement keeps the musicians from running each other off the road. The drums are the glue, though – a great groove for everyone else to follow & fall into.

There are many good-sounding tunes on this album. Low spots & boredom don’t figure into their recipe. They have a well-realized sound. Their forte seems to be dance-oriented grooves with soul & country-rustic pieces (“Nightglow” & “Memories of Love”), which in itself is an oddity. Yet, they’re convincing. Where some diversity can hurt an artist find an audience, these fellows have mastered each style entertainingly & both are applicable in equal measures. The band is also a good live catch.