Malin, Jesse
Following an eight year stand, that ended in '99, with New York's D Generation, Jesse Malin launched a couple short-lived projects before going solo. PCP Highway (with former D Generation bandmates Howie Pyro and Joe Rizzo) and Bellvue (also named Tsing-Tsing for a brief time) came and went with little notice.
Having met singer/songwriter Ryan Adams while fronting D Generation, Malin asked Adams to produce his solo debut, "The Fine Art Of Self Destruction." Interestingly, Adams had no prior producing experience.
Initially released in the U.K., the album made some noise, especially the lead single "Queen Of The Underworld." A few months later, January '03, the album came out in the U.S. With Folk-Rock and Alt. Country (thankfully more Alt. than Country) influences, the set was a far cry from D Generation's Punk raves.
Next up were a couple one-off projects: recording "Hungry Heart" for "Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen" and "Death Or Glory" for "White Riot 2: A Tribute To The Clash." While it can be argued that both Springsteen and The Clash play to the rebellious side of Rock, there are significant stylistic differences. That Malin created credible covers was a tribute to his range and musical dexterity.
Recording for Malin's next album, "The Heat" began in November of '03. The set was released the following June. Moving to Adeline Records, the label operated by Green Day's frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, Malin issued "Glitter In The Gutter." Songs on the '07 CD were tested in front of live audiences as Malin toured the U.S. and U.K. Running the board was Green Day's producer Rob Cavallo. Among those lending their talents were Jakob Dylan, Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme, the Foo Fighter's guitarist Chris Shiflett and the aforementioned Adams and Springsteen (heard on "Broken Radio," a song that ponders whether a woman "missed the boat or burned the bridge.")
"The Fine Art Of Self-Destruction" presents Malin as a Rock Troubadour, much in the Springsteen mode. Songs slicing NY life roll out with an inexorable energy. The first three tracks, "Queen Of The Underworld," "TKO" and "Wendy" sound deceptively simple but are actually intricate gems that unfold confidently. While the title track is hardly memorable, the acoustic mid-tempo "Riding On The Subway" has a irresistible '60s Folk feel. On "Almost Grown," Malin sounds like Van Morrison fronting a Tex-Mex band. "Brooklyn" gets an acoustic and electric treatment. The latter is a little fuller but no less compelling.
"The Heat" continues in the same vein led by the acoustic oriented "Mona Lisa," "the casually cool, yet mournful, "Swinging Man" and "Scars Of Love."
How can an album with Bruce Springsteen, Jakob Dylan, Ryan Adams and Josh Homme fail? Oh, it probably could but it would take some effort. Fortunately, Malin brings in the big guns and works them to his advantage on "Glitter In The Gutter." They're in the mix but don't overshadow - well, maybe Springsteen does.
The only real misstep doesn't have to do with a guest artist but rather taking a cut at the Replacements' "Bastards Of Young." The piano ballad just lays there, DOA. Malin's the kind of musician who needs a rhythm guitar - acoustic or electric -to sing over. Add a solid backbeat and a lead guitar line for color or effect. "Don't Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day)," "In The Modern World," "Prisoners In Paradise" and the acoustic "Aftermath" are spot on, playing to Malin's strengths.