Glad All Over

After a modestly successful solo career, Jakob Dylan has teamed back up with Wallflowers keyboardist Rami Jaffee for the first new group effort in seven years. Pearl Jam/Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, bassist Greg Richling, and guitarist Stuart Mathis (who'd joined the band upon Jaffee's original departure) fill out the band, which continues to infuse new energy into a classic rock format that never loses its flavor. The combination of ringing Fender guitars, Hammond organ, harmonies, and a singer who believes every literate word gives tunes like "Hospital for Sinners," "First One in the Car," and the full-blown vintage rocker "Have Mercy on Him Now" a genuine power beyond what others could do with the same material. Dylan's hero—Mick Jones of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite—joins the group for "Reboot the Mission," a tune that remembers Joe Strummer while sounding like latter-day Clash. Dylan's solo work was inspired, but he obviously missed the kinetic energy of a solid group of guys bringing their A-games to the sessions.