Search - Jackopierce :: Promise of Summer

12 Years For This?

Brian Willard | Charlotte, NC USA | 10/09/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm an enormous Jackopierce fan going back to the early 90s when I discovered them, and turned many friends and colleagues on to these guys. I've even travelled all over the Southeast to see them live, and more recently to some of the infrequent reunion shows and Cary's solo gigs. So, when I heard the news that Jack and Cary were releasing a new album I was tremendously excited and remained that way - until I heard the record.



As much as I wanted to love it, the magic is just not there. After over a decade, I wanted something to really knock me out, and Promise Of Summer just isn't it. The songs aren't bad per se, but with the exception of 2 or 3 gems, the tracks found here mostly range from plain benign to woefully underachieving. The music and lyrics seem uncharacteristically bland and lacking when compared to previous Jackopierce LPs and even falls short of subsequent solo records by both Jack and Cary.



Overall, Promise of Summer seems to convey a feeling of mild apathy, and quite a few of the songs sound like warmed over Matchbox 20, Counting Crows or Vertical Horizon B-Sides. Unlike the band's last two LPs, nothing on Promise Of Summer is new, exciting, complex or innovating. It has a very same-y , phoned-in feel to it - a quality that definitely won't bring any new fans into the fold, but instead seems to set out solely to placate longtime fans.



The biggest let-down here for me are Cary's contributions. Corny lyrics "I'm black coffee, she's sweet tea" (uggh), unimaginative, recycled guitar chords, and an overall feeling of malaise. I think it's terrific Pierce has found religion, and although Jackopierce was never a Christian band, Pierce can't seem to help himself here - sneaking in lyrics about praying, God and Jesus. Like I said, how wonderful for him but if I want to listen to music extolling the virtues of being born again, I know where to look. His creative energies seem to be on hold on Promise Of Summer for the most part, but of course there are some excellent moments for Cary to be sure. "Not Around" and the album's title track are on par with some of his best solo work,no question about it.



Partner Jack O'Neill fares a bit better here, continuing in the same vein of broody songwriting found on his criminally underrated solo LP "Halfway Around The World". Tracks like the excellent "Come On July" and wistful "Texas" temporarily divert the listener from some of the album's more vanilla-sounding moments and obviously connect the listener to the album title thematically. O'Neill's Antiwar opus "March", found on jackopierce's epononymous debut album is reworked here, if only for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - because other than doubletracking/beefing up a few of the guitar points - the song is identical to the original and comes across as a pretty pointless exercise - and overall in many aspects, so does the entire album."

This is vintage Jackopierce, it is very nice but...

Michael Clinton Hook | Texas | 09/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For those who have already heard and liked the over produced version of this pairing I can see little new and there is an overtried hint of the original Jackopierce in these tunes. The writing is fair to be honest but I sense it might interest a teen that is just now discovering these sounds and lyric for the first time. If you are 30+ and started with the original Jackopierce in Dallas then this will probably come across as over pollishing a knob that was invented a while ago and yet you still want to wish these guys well."