Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

He may have taken his name off of the band's moniker, but the Blues Explosion still belongs to Jon Spencer. A neo-Elvis to end all neo-Elvises, Spencer has commandeered his post-Pussy Galore career through a music scene hypnotized at times by grunge, electronica, boy bands, nu-metal and white-hop without missing a scream. Along the way, he's released some incendiary albums like Orange and Now I Got Worry and made friends with artists as diverse as R.L. Burnside and Dan the Automator, the latter of whom returns once again for the Blues Explosion's latest disc.

Damage slots right into the sweat-drenched groove Spencer, guitar whiz Judah Bauer and drum dynamo Russell Simins have turned out since the last Bush left the Oval Office. It's filled with badass tracks and guest turns. DJ Shadow and avant-jazz sax man James Chance hop on board to phreak the steamy "Fed Up and Down Low," while Public Enemy's Chuck D drops in on "Hot Gossip" to help Spencer school suckers on the War in Iraq, democracy and change ("Get on up/and shut this shit down," Spencer pleads). For dessert, ex-Tricky chanteuse Martina Topley-Bird steps in to add the sultry backing vocals usually reserved for Spencer muse Cristina Martinez or Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff to "Spoiled" and "You've Seen My Baby." It's a smorgasbord of sound and sweat in the true Blues Explosion sound, and it couldn't have come at a better time. - Scott Thill, Morphizm.com

Since the Blues Explosion -- who, as of this record, have officially dropped the "Jon Spencer" prefix from their name (the better to illustrate that they are a genuine band) -- has always been about the sound, power, and feel, not the song, it only makes sense that they work with a cornecopia of producers, mixers, and guest musicians on their seventh album, Damage. After all, they've done this before, particularly on 1998's Acme, which had one foot firmly in indie rock and one in the surging electronica of the day. It had loads of interesting sounds, but it didn't hold together. Damage, however, not only holds together, it finds the trio unexpectedly flourishing as a rock & roll band, a bunch of record-makers, and most surprisingly of all, songwriters. Underneath the whilwind of sound, the Blues Explosion turn in some of their best songs, whether it's the diamond-hard "Burn It Off" -- one of their best-ever rockers -- or the moody, evocative neo-ballad "Crunchy," featuring suitably spooky and sexy vocals from former Tricky cohort Martina Topley-Bird. But what gives Damage a real kick is that each of the various producers -- whether it's the Blues Explosion's own drummer Russell Simins, journeyman Steve Jordan, or electronica daredevils Dan the Automator, David Holmes, or DJ Shadow -- has a distinctly different take on the band, soliciting muscular yet supple performances out of the trio, then putting the recording into hyperdrive on the final mix. Instead of contradicting each other, these different approaches are complimentary, revealing a band that's more adventurous and visceral than their last handful of records led you to expect. Damage is their best record in years, proof that the Blues Explosion are the real deal, getting better with age just like any other blues band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide