Microsoft MusicCentral
Album Reviews
October 1, 1997

MusicCentral.msn.com/WeeklyReviews/ReviewBlock/01October1997#5006_1

Little Jack Melody
& His Young Turks

my charmed life

The irony-rich title song kicks off as a swinging lounge waltz, yet crooner-songwriter Melody is closer in spirit to Kurt Weill than Burt Bacharach, mixing sunny tunes with dark fates and social satire. When not plying smoky jazz timbres, tuba, harmonium, banjo, and reeds inject a Berlin cabaret feel, but this Denton, Texas, quintet’s ambitions are broader, and Melody’s melodies transcend mere homage. His velvety, low tenor suggests an enervated Mel Torme with a fatal vein of self-doubt.

- Sam Sutherland