Jeff Root has come up with another album full of fun, quirky, and impressive songs. His new My One And Only CD is loaded with a variety of song structures and styles. Each tune is coated by his own haunted, other worldly vocal, a natural timbre which suggests he lives just barely on this side of sanity.
Opening track “Spin The Wheel” sets the tone for the album, with Root’s rocking amble moving through interesting twists and turns. His oddly endearing vocal timbre wraps itself well around his meaning of life lyrical witticisms.
Title track “My One And Only” gets its juice from a softly strummed acoustic guitar, a synthesized string line, and an adept percussion player. It sets a romantic Latin feel as Root pushes the tune along with a smooth forcefulness. This one tugs on the ear with a ceaseless sense of intrigue.
Employing old time barrelhouse piano, “You Bring Out The Bishop In Me” finds Root giving the listener a taste of yesteryear. His off kilter vocal timbre fits this particular tune like a glove, as he’s riding a merry, bopping beat from the piano. Accompaniment from a synth line pleasantly reminds of old fashioned carnival music.
“The Place We Once Knew” is a sweet pop-rock ditty. Its tasteful, tender electric guitar melodies are candy for the ear and its muscular groove keeps the song driving even though it’s a mid tempo piece. Roots also creates something that could have been a timeless song we all already know, like something he reached into the river of time to pull out and present to a modern day audience.
“Bingo Night” is another focus on Root’s interest in unusual song topics. Here, he conjures a Latin feel with percussion and rippling guitar notes and wraps them around a love story unfurling between two elderly people on at a Bingo match. It speaks volumes of this songwriter’s ability to create images and sounds that compel one to listen closely. Next up, “Won’t You Be My Betty Boop” furthers this songwriter’s penchant for the odd love song. Witty lyrics, quirky images, and the perfect assortment of instrumentation and styles make the listener smile.
Root goes into darker territory with “The Low Way.” We know which “low” he sings of when he references the devil. The tune’s groove swaggers around beneath an edgy guitar line and edgy vocal melody. Here, Roots creates a sense of foreboding using badass rock music to help him make his case.
“Kerouac King Kong” is a peppy pop rock ditty with an amicable vocal approach. With a gripping guitar line and forceful groove, Root tells the story of a great songwriter. The instrumentation here has a great feel as the players create a large, cruising sound, carrying it well through changes, maintaining a momentum that we can feel. Roots pulls the whole thing along with his strong, leadership vocal, a force that commands all to follow in its wake.
Roots greatest strength is his ability to create a completely different but thorough vibe in each song. “The Wickedness Of You” features sweet guitar lines that carry one away like a magic carpet ride while Roots unfurls another of his cool story songs. “New Black Dress” is a snappy, jazzy piece with chorus like cooing that makes a sexy subject matter even more sultry. “In The Day” harkens back to Roots youth with a solid classic rock underpinning. “World Of Triple Sixes” makes the most of Roots free flowing lead guitar melodic phrasing. Throw in some eerie synth touches and we have a grueling, grinding long day’s journey into night..
“Bump And Grind” has a distinct Michael Jackson influence. Co-writer and bass player Zack Root must have grown up listening to the Thriller album. This tune wraps guitars, bass, and vocal rests around a relentless, dancing beat, one that makes the listener feel helpless but to tap his toes to this indefatigable motion.
Roots closes out his My One And Only album with his mercurial sense of humor in tack, playing a spoof on Celtic number “Finnegan’s Wake,” expressing himself with quaint vocal inflections and eccentric witticisms. It’s a hoot.
Jeff Root keeps coming up with his own highly original rock and roll songs. He is unafraid to tackle any subject matter and he remains fearless when mixing seemingly incongruent influences. Jeff Root, on his new My One And Only CD, proves once again that he can take his musical gifts in any direction while keeping his audience very entertained.
