FLEUR JACK & THE JANDALS: Ghosts of Cimarron

By Tim Gruar

Dressed for the cover like Jesse James’ winsome illegitimate daughter, you don’t really get a proper grasp of what Fleur Jack’s capable of until you’re well into this. Waiting by the Phone starts things off with a chugging, bitter little ditty, a common tale of over thinking the dumb flirtations of men. Her husky alto has the right level of conviction and authority to pull off the Americana of Ghosts of Cimarron as the stagecoach rollocks down the track of history. Things go a bit astray with some pretty average arrangements on the mushy pea lament Eyes Across the Fire and the mis-titled Wild Ride, but on the other hand Fuck Everybody Else, a retread from Jack’s debut outfit The Twitch, brings a happy contrast between the sweet sing-song country/folk. Sally was a Killer rocks out beautifully, hook, lyric-line and sinker. Her Jandals, Joel Vinsen (guitars), Sims Ross bass and Scott Wotherspoon on drums are embellished with the BVs of Dylan Storey and Josh Crowther, adding a professional polish to many of the numbers on this disc. Vinsen’s edgy cowboy slide on Dark and Trinidad are particularly cool. For a fast draw indie-rock-radio jock this gal is surprisingly demure and restrained on this album which was funded through Sellaband.

Related Information

Issues

NZ Musician

April/May 2012