Jango
Dreamtown
by S. H. Watkins, Sr.
The eighth track of Dreamtown, “Too Much Time” has a line that goes “I play my worn out Steely Dan…”. The eleventh track is named Sunset to the Sea (“Take sunset to the sea” is the first line of the Steely Dan classic “Babylon Sisters”.) Coincidence? Not at all. The title track, “Dreamtown” clearly shows the influence of the vocal stylings made famous by Donald Fagan and Steely Dan.
Jango itself is mainly a collection of good musicians put together by songwriters Steve La Gassick and Michael Price to perform songs they had written. (Sound familiar?) But, like those Steely Dan albums of old, the strongest part of this album is the songwriting. The music is very lively and up-tempo. Throughout, the vocals are reminiscent of Steely Dan while not taking away from the individual identity of the band. The tracks are interesting and varied, including a rendition of the pop hit “How Long” featuring some good riff work by guitarist Nick Kirgo.
Saxman/vocalist Steve Neves, Bassist Leon Johnson and Drummer Dave Beyer round out this L.A. based band. On the whole “Dreamtown”, Jango’s first release, is good. Some of the tracks lean a little more towards the pop side (also like Steely Dan), and the vocals could be pumped up a little in a few places, but the jazzy tunes are really well done. I give it a ‘B’. You should give it a listen..
For more on Jango visit the Samson Music Website
