Jesse Malin's debut "The Fine Art of Self Destruction" was a great find back in 2002. When he released a follow-up two years later, it was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment for me. "The Heat" was just missing some of that spark that hit me with the first record.I guess when his first album came out, it was frequently mentioned that Malin was Ryan Adams' protege or something, even though Malin is a few years older. Adams produced his debut and played on a number of the songs. And even though they are great friends and Malin appreciated his help, apparently he didn't want to spend the rest of his career being known as "Ryan Adams' boy" so he severed some of those ties for "The Heat." I thought Ryan Adams' contributions to the first record were great. I don't know that that's what is missing from "The Heat" though. I just don't think the songs are as good.
That being said, there are plenty of likeable tunes on Jesse Malin's sophomore effort. My favorite is probably "Hotel Columbia." Its lyrics seem to be about that struggle growing up and growing old. How do you still be cool when your "friends are all dads and moms"? A number of my buddies from college seemed to have a hard time adjusting to life in the real world of wives, jobs, mortgages, etc. Many people in their mid-twenties and early thirties can identify with Malin's lyrics here. Words aside, the music in this song is great too. It's got a great guitar hook that starts it all off and pops up throughout. The whole thing is good and fast... a great rocker with Malin's heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics holding it all up from below.
"Hotel Columbia" is from the album "The Heat." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.
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