It's funny what sometimes settles in the brain.
I wanted to start this review with exactly the same sentence that I used to begin the review of JAMIE CLARKE´S PERFECT's last EP. Good thing I checked first and then wrote. Otherwise, it could have been embarrassing.
You can read the review of the band's last EP here:
http://www.ramtatta.de/reviews,id-887,go-jamie+clarke__s+perfect+_+fucking+folkabillie+rock.html
After this already very good EP, the band led by mastermind Jamie Clark presents their next album titled “Beatboys.”
Beatboys, the first thing that comes to my mind is The Beatles, Mods, and the old school. The old school fits here, but neither The Beatles nor Mods are present in this combo.
Jamie Clark, born in 1964, has been making music for as long as he can remember, and he has also played with the folk band The Pogues; you can hear this influence and many others in the music on this CD with every second.
However, what I find most interesting is that at least a handful of songs sound very familiar to me, but there is supposedly only one cover version on the album. Have I heard all these songs somewhere else, or are they just newly recorded by JAMIE CLARKE´S PERFECT? The worldwide digital network isn't much help, and neither is my brain.
Giving in to the music is definitely better than sitting in the corner lost in thought.
The music is a mix of folk, a dose of catchy punk rock (though there is more rock than punk to be heard here), a pinch of rockabilly, hillbilly, and rock'n'roll. More rocking than The Pogues, cleaner than The Real McKenzies, and catchier than Blood or Whisky. In a good Irish pub, the group could serve as the house band, but only if it has dark wood paneling, the air filled with smoke, the scent of whisky, and the buzz of a party. When people no longer need to prove anything to each other but just want to enjoy a great time together, then JAMIE CLARKE´S PERFECT is the perfect soundtrack for that.
Dirty Folk'n'Rock or Drunk'n'Folk'A'Billy, whatever. Labels don't fit; you have to listen to the band, preferably experience them live, and you'll find out. It's a great thing!
The band is fun!
By the way, the cover version of “Champs-Élysées” is the best I've heard in a long time. In this version, even this song is audible!
Here's to more good years, and always two fingers of whisky in the glass!
