Jam Jam EP

The members of GospelbeacH have resumes as long as Wilt Chamberlains wingspan, but none of them have been in a project quite like this. Brent Rademakers partner in Curation Records is the proud owner of a huge stash of bubblegum and glitter pop singles, and after digging into some of them, Rademaker was inspired to give a handful of the songs the GospelbeacH treatment. On the Jam Jam EP, the band and the songs meet halfway in a glorious collision of sugary melodies and goofy hooks, drawling vocals and warm country-rock. The band extract some real goodies and give them a rollicking update. The American Jam Bands glittering obscurity Jam Jam is given some punchy swagger, the very Badfinger-eque Lovin You Aint Easy by Michel Pagliaro takes a mellow step in the direction of soft rock heaven, and the bubblegum classic Gimme Gimme Good Lovin isnt much of a song, but the group plow through it with just the right amount of energy and giddiness. The high points of the too-short EP are GospelbeacHs take on Chunkys Albatross, which comes complete with a merrily stomping glam beat and some seriously cheesy synths, and a lovely version of Sandy Salisburys sunshine pop gem Do Unto Others. The band make it sound like a lost Tom Petty song from early in his career, while adding vocal harmonies pretty enough for a Beach Boys album. Not a surprise since they are provided by Nelson Bragg, a longtime member of Brian Wilsons band. Jam Jam is a fun little diversion for GospelbeacH, showing they can do light and breezy like its second nature. Its also a nice jumping-off point for anyone interested in discovering bubblegum and glitter by tracing the bands excellent choices back to the source. ~ Tim Sendra