Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Jordan Lunardini & The Bad Beat


Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat is an awesome new band based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The have surprising depth for artists this young. I was fortunate enough to catch their performance at the Eaton Rapids Blues Festival this past weekend and was very impressed, not only with their music but their entertaining skills as well. They had the crowd in their palm for the entire performance. It certainly didn’t hurt when guitar player Frankie Ballard wandered the crowd several times throughout their performance leaving each person there with a personal performance to remember. Their new cd titled Moonshine Gospel is a great offering and falls in the blues rock category.

It opens with Glorify, a rockin’ blues song with faith based tones. The amazing guitar work and vocals are tight and fresh. Next is Can’t Unwind, featuring an opening of searing guitar and moving to some wonderful lyrics. Next is the only cover song on the cd, and is a nice version of John Lee Hooker’s It Serves Me Right To Suffer. They have rocked it up a bit and provided a feast for guitar lovers as it has plenty of amazing guitar playing. Jordan’s vocals are great and filled with all the emotion the blues requires. A mid Tempo song is next in Burning Paul and begins with a funky groove. Matt Reinhardt does a great job of anchoring the rhythm on bass. The first really stand alone blues number is next and is titled Whiskey and Wine. This is one of my personal favorites and shows that these guys can definitely handle a slower blues song while still adding their electric touch. Put Me Down follows and picks up the pace again. This rockin’ blues song would be right at home on a blues show or a rock station’s programming as would most of the material. New School Of The Blues is a neat song that is wonderfully written and pays homage to many of the great bluesmen, naming a few and their influence upon his music. Living Water is next and is a slower tempo song with some great riffs and lyrics. The pace again picks up for Holy Ground. Using a rhythm made famous by John Lee Hooker, Jordan has created a new masterpiece. Soul Man follows and is another well written song sure to appeal to the blues rocker and traditional rocker alike. Jordan closes this offering with Coming On Home, one of the best songs on the entire cd and sure to leave you wanting more. This song returns to traditional blues flavor and is sure to become a favorite.
I commend Jordan for having written ten of the eleven tracks on this cd and remaining true to his faith and style throughout.

Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat are:
Jordan Lunardini – Guitar, Vocals
Matt Reinhardt – Bass
Frankie Ballard – Guitar
Tim Cowert – Drums
Special guest on Hammond C3 organ – John Ford (Out of Favor Boys)

Visit Jordan Lunardini’s web site at:
http://www.jordanlunardini.com/

Get Moonshine Gospel here:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QTUKUIWI