Jive Train, Jonesin’ (Independent)


Despite all the groove and soul that is packed into this short, 20-minute EP of five songs, Baton Rouge’s Jive Train also manages to pack in an awful lot of cheese and pretension. The arrangements are slickly produced and pleasing to the ear, while the songs take from the sappiest elements of Earth, Wind and Fire and Luther Vandross, making them perfect for any adult contemporary radio station. This is top-grade smooth-soul, and though many may be turned off by its “jive” posture, it is sure to find an audience somewhere out there.