When King's X signed with Metal Blade Records, it allowed them to do one thing that Atlantic Records would not permit: the pursuit and release of side projects. Doug Pinnick has done so under the names Poundhound and Supershine. Ty Tabor has released two solo albums, and two more collaborations as Platypus. The world still awaits the upcoming Jerry Gaskill project.
Platypus was comprised of vocalist and guitar impresario Ty Tabor, bassist John Myung (Dream Theater), drummer Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), and Derek Sherinian, keyboard player for Planet X. Their two albums were hailed as works of prog rock genius, a return to the heavy but melodic sounds made famous by Kansas.
Two years later, Sherinian has left the group, and they have renamed themselves The Jelly Jam. This CD, in a word, is awesome. Ty Tabor has never done better vocals, and Myung and Morgenstein are amazing technicians with their respective instruments.
The Jelly Jam is an introspective work -- "I Can't Help You" shows the singer lamenting that "I can't even seem to save myself," while "No Remedy" states "I can't stand the pain in myself." "Nature" and "Nature's Girl" lead into each other, and should be billed as one track -- they serve as a cautionary tale about a woman who wants to be more important than she is, perhaps an Eve or Yoko Ono type:
She'd like to be big as a mountain
Her life is as big as a sea
But bravery and mastery elude the key...in effigy
She...she is nature's girl
She's the apple that was placed inside our world...
The three song interlude of "Feeling," "Reliving," and "The Jelly Jam" may be the best three back to back songs in sequence that I have ever heard. All of these exhibit Tabor's recent fascination with the Foo Fighters, while "Under the Tree" begins like a Chagall Guevara tune, then falls into a rhythm not unlike the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."
The irony here is that at times Tabor's guitar work would not be out of place on the Doug Pinnick/Bruce Franklin side project Supershine. Imagine what the next King's X album would be like if Tabor and Pinnick decided to focus on it as they have their side work of late.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth March 2002Reviewed by Dan SingletonThe Jelly Jam wins hands-down for most aptly titled band/album of the year so far. This is one extended jam session by three of today's top performers at their respective instruments. Nearly every song ends with all three going to town with their tools, giving the album the feel of a live show. The line-up has Ty Tabor (King's X) on lead guitar and vocals, John Myung (Dream Theater) on bass, and…
