Just Left Town
Opulent Records, 2004
http://www.sonicbids.com/band/thebigcreak2
REVIEW BY: Duke Egbert
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/02/2004
To quote the Rolling Stones, "It's only rock and roll, but I like it."
The third album from Columbus, Ohio's The Big Creak isn't going to solve any world problems, cause you to have wild emotional catharses, or enable personal enlightenment. That said, that's about the only complaint I can come up with for Just Left Town; what we have here is a great piece of straight-ahead rock and roll with just enough smarts to keep the left brain busy while the right brain rocks out.
The Big Creak has been around for a while; a good seven or eight years of experience playing together has resulted in a tight outfit whose sound is professional, uncluttered, and precise. Even when these guys are kicking out the jams, they kick them out properly, and I can appreciate that. Combine this with stellar musicianship -- from Aaron Bright on keys, Keith Maxwell Button on drums, Paul Graves on bass, and especially Jim Koch, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter -- and what you have is a damn fine rock and roll band.
There's a lot of good to be said about Just Left Town. "Love On Hold" is a brilliant piece of wordplay about a guy who just keeps giving a lady one more chance. "Derailed" is simply lovely; the kind of melody that sinks into your head and takes up residence permanently. "Wendy" is just...well...funny. There are a couple of minor miscues -- "Corporate Superstar" is overly simplistic, with a couple of lyrics that make me wince -- but on the whole The Big Creak is right on target.
I don't know about you, but in the summer I tend to eschew cerebral music for something more appropriate for driving with the windows down. The Big Creak's Just Left Town fits the bill in spades, and comes heartily recommended.