Silver Patron Saints

Theres an old saying that a man can be judged by the company he keeps, and if its true, that makes Jesse Malin a pretty special guy. Malin cut his musical teeth in the hardcore band Heart Attack and punk/glam cult heroes D Generation, and in time he matured into a singer and songwriter who could mix intelligent introspection and streetwise attitude with impressive style and smarts. While Malin has never had anything approaching a hit record, hes developed a powerfully loyal following and the respect of his peers, and its the latter that made 2024s Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin possible. In May 2023, Malin suffered a spinal stroke, a rare medical condition that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Though he made slow but steady progress at a treatment facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that offered experimental treatments not available in North America, his medical bills have far exceeded what a journeyman rock & roller could afford, so a number of Malins friends and admirers teamed up to cover 27 of their favorites from his songbook for this album. The roll call of artists is truly impressive, and with Bruce Springsteen, Billie Joe Armstrong, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Rancid, Tom Morello, and Little Steven Van Zandt among the performers who lent their talents to this project, it has the potential to expose Malins work to a lot of people who havent heard his music, as well as helping him pay some bills. If one wants to make a case for Malins talent as a songwriter, Silver Patron Saints is a fine place to start; the artists have picked their material wisely, and while tribute albums are often filled with tossed-off performances, essentially everyone here has delivered their A-game, delivering Malins fine songs with the passion and thoughtfulness they deserve. Though Springsteens soulful reading of "She Dont Love Me Now," Armstrongs arena-sized take on "Black Haired Girl," Costello and Williams weathered and wistful version of "Room 13," and Van Zandt and Morellos tear through "Turn Up the Mains" (with help from Alison Mosshart of the Dead Weather and MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer) will doubtless attract the most attention, the lesser-known artists are just as impressive here. Onetime Pogues bassist Rocky ORiordan is powerfully affecting on Malins tribute to her former bandmate, "Shane," Craig Finns emphatic talk-sung vocals are the perfect touch for the Hold Steadys cover of "Death Star," fellow New York lifer Willie Nile sings "All the Way from Moscow" like its his life story, and Agnostic Front show major respect to their fellow NYHC comrade with the furious "God Is Dead." Anyone who has paid much attention to Jesse Malins work knows the guy is a truly great songwriter, and Silver Patron Saints is a tribute that gives his work plenty of room to shine; very few tribute albums are this consistently strong and satisfying, and show off the guest of honor to such an impressive advantage. ~ Mark Deming