Jackie Greene

The Mint - April 26, 2006

Live Review by Mark McConville

Imagine you're blindfolded.  You're led into a medium-sized music venue.  The band starts, and they are great.  Smoking guitar solos, perfect open-mouthed harmonica, tight rhythm section and intense lead singer.  They play four or five songs, and then that blindfold is ripped off.  When your eyes finally adjust to the light, you see 24-year-old Jackie Greene and his band.  There's just no way that this southern-fried country/folk/blues is coming out of this band.  They are just too young to be that good.

Armed with an arsenal of Telecasters and Les Pauls, Greene's first night of two at The Mint was a tour through his newest record, American Myth.  Lyrically, Greene showed his age: his lyrics sometimes lack substance, but that will come with maturity.  His lyrical abilities, however, may never catch up with his musical abilities.  Switching effortlessly from electric guitar to acoustic guitar to piano and organ, Greene is destined to be a great American musician.  Highlights included "Hollywood," which set a great tone for the show, "Gone Wanderin' " an excellent up-tempo acoustic anthem and "Marigold," a touching ballad that brought the room to a hush.  Tim Bluhm of Mother Hips joined the band for an amazing rendition of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

There is no doubt that Greene is a wonder kid.  No one his age should sound as good as he does.  What adds to the feeling is that he's surely still getting carded for cigarettes.  He could pass for 15.  Appearances are deceiving.  Greene and his band will just get better with age.