Jelly Jam, The

Never heard of the Jelly Jam? Well, this is a new band, but yet not a new band. The Jelly Jam are actually the members of Platypus who remained after Derek Sherinian left the group. That departure leaves a trio composed of John Myung (Dream Theater), Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), and Ty Tybor (Kings X). The music of the group shares a lot with that of the band that spawned it, but it is also a very different sound. Gone, obviously, are the keyboard colorings of the group. Also gone are the jazz-oriented elements that occasionally showed up in Platypus. The more blatant retro sounds of that group also are not present here. That does not mean that this band's sound is not based in the '70s rock vein, because it definitely is. What it does mean is that the link to that sound is drawn more from the songwriting elements than from instrumentation. Indeed, in listening to the disc you will hear elements of many '70s rock staples, including Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake. You will likely also pick up tinges of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and '80s-era Rush at times. Also present are leanings toward the spacyness of guys like Joe Satriani. Does this mean that the Jelly Jam are unoriginal? Definitely not -- they combine all of their influences into a mix, a jam if you will, that is wholly their own and quite entertaining. Plus, the album has plenty of modern sounds, and these guys really know how to write a hook as well. If you are a fan of the classic guitar rock era and jam-oriented music, you really should check this one out. It will probably be just your flavor. ~ Gary Hill|