The Old Joe Clarks

The second release from this San Francisco combo lays waste --in, like 20 seconds -- to any thoughts of a sophomore slump, the haunting melodicism and deep country soul are still here,but backed up this time by some streetwise muscle and grit. Husband-and-wifecore Mike & Jill Coykendall flesh out the predominantly acoustic sound of their debut (Town Of Ten) with a full band: big-beat drums, swirling keyboards, scratchy guitars. Mike's songwriting remains unflinchingly honest andcompletely pretention-free, but here, the music itself occasionally invites you to step outside n'settle this, should any doubt remain.