N.Y. To U.K. To Texas

Tony Peyser
Mirror contributing writer

   Listen to the sweet sounds of Brian Jay Cline and you’ll hear echoes of British artists like Elvis Costello and Squeeze. But he’s not from Brixton, he’s from Brooklyn and his current release is the appropriately titled Fast Train To Brooklyn. I suspected I would like Cline (who now lives in Las Vegas) simply because one of his songs had this wonderful title: “Double Parked Heart.” I wasn’t the least bit disappointed in this track. The heartache he sings about is earned and well-documented with lines like, “Why am I always the last in line/to be the first one on your mind?”
   I played Cline’s album as I was driving and was totally smitten with the fifth song. But, I thought the title was a little cliched: “Angel In The Skies Above Me.” It seemed a tad on the nose on an album that really aimed for more clever ideas and turns of phrase. Suddenly, I picked up the CD case and realized that wasn’t the title at all: the song is actually called “Angel In Disguise.” Cline had outfoxed me by tiptoeing up to a cliché, sidestepping it and coming up with something truly original. (By the way, I don’t recommend reading CD song titles when you’re behind the wheel. I missed two turns and almost got into a couple of accidents by paying more attention to what I was listening to than what I was driving.)
   My vehicular mishaps notwithstanding, this is an exceptionally swell album and Cline is a truly gifted singer-songwriter.
   An old joke has a Rabbi and a Priest watching a guy in boxing trunks repeatedly cross himself as he steps into the ring. The Rabbi says, “What does that mean?” The Priest replies, “Not much if he can’t fight.” I got Bamboo Lounge, the latest CD by Sparkle*Jets U.K. In the spine of the plastic album case was a tiny bamboo cocktail umbrella. Cool? Absolutely. But it doesn’t mean much if they can’t play. Can they? Uh, yeah.
   S.J.U.K. certainly falls under the power pop heading but this thing really rocks. Some power pop can be like cake icing but they throw in lots of cake, too, which adds to the substance. Co-lead vocalist Susan West’s voice has a knowing swagger but she can also put over an innocent song like “A Nice One.” In “She May Be Nice,” there’s a criminally catchy chorus and a solid vocal from Michael Simmons. “Consult Your Physician” is literally thumping because of Larry Doran’s bass playing which accompanies West’s sultry singing. I love these lines: “Take those coins off your eyes/You’re not dead yet.” S.J.U.K. reminds me of No Doubt but with snappier lyrics. They don’t play ska but they’ve somehow captured that energy. And how can you not be won over by an album with a song called, “They Shoot Square Dancers, Don’t They?”
   Lastly, you can all to go to Hell —- as in From Hell To Breakfast: A Taste Of Sugar Hill’s Texas Singer-Songwriters. From the piss and vinegar of Terry Allen’s “Gone To Texas” to The Gourds’ rousing “El Paso” and James McMurty’s dusty and literate “Jaws Of Life,” this album explains why people love the music currently coming out of the Lone Star state.
   Miles Of Music has Fast Train To Brooklyn for a mere ten bucks. CDNow has From Hell To Texas for $16.98 and Bamboo Lounge for $14.49.
   *The jangling Jukebox Junkies are at The Viper Room on March 6.
   The Goofy Band Name Of The Week is … The Hissyfits.