Jet Black Stare

Vancouver's Jet Black Stare exhibit a supercharged, rock n' roll gusto that's bound to rattle at least a few stripper poles. The band have found the perfect balance between Motley Crue's gritty, gutter riffs and In This Life, often revs like a fine-tuned engine. "Ready to Roll" fires off a huge hook over a power rock melody. Singer Rod Black's voice carries the chorus with a cock rock bravado that's bound to get some asses shaking. However, he can also play the sensitive guy. "I'm Breathin'" is a somber and melodic rumination on blacking out, and it's vibrant and pained enough to wake Layne Staley. That's where Jet Black Stare excels. Rather than simply fall into the Nickelback formula that's marred numerous Canadian rock exports, the band expounds on it. Certainly, "Every Moment" and "Fly" are straight-up radio anthems, but Black manages to channel the grunge gods quite effectively on cuts like "The River."

At the end of the day, Jet Black Stare are all about a good time. "Poster Princess" is "Girls, Girls, Girls" for the 21st century. In fact, Jet Black Stare may even be a bit motlier than the real Crue is these days. While the '80s-set has long moved out of the strip clubs and into reality TV land, there's been a vacancy for party rock. Jet Black Stare fill it with In This Life. Crank it up and go for a ride.

—Rick Florino
07.18.08

Jet Black Stare's debut album shows promise in a number of ways -- the musicianship is good and consistent throughout, the choruses are catchy, and there are good vocals from frontman Rod Black on most of the songs. Though the group excels at the slower, lighter numbers that are liberally interspersed throughout In This Life, that's not to say that the band is incapable of harder-edged numbers, as demonstrated by opening track "Ready to Roll." Guitarists Flip and Dave Muselman turn in steady, no-frills performances, and Jet Black Stare's rhythm section, comprised of Shane Hayes on bass and Dan Swinimer on drums, provides a solid foundation no matter what the tempo. Unfortunately, it all comes to naught. While there may be no problem with the band's basic technique, In This Life is bogged down by its execution. Jet Black Stare sound much like fellow Canadians Nickelback and Theory of a Deadman, and the album does nothing to distinguish them from their contemporaries. The approach becomes almost paint-by-numbers at certain points; songs like "I'm Breathing," "Rearview Mirror," and "Poster Princess" sound almost interchangeable with other tunes from their post-grunge peers. The album's layout is also predictable, evenly split between gritty, hard-charging (yet paradoxically bland and shallow) rock and mediocre ballads, the former of which is sung in a strained tone that sounds like the vocalist was moving furniture while recording his tracks in the booth. It's a shame, as there are a number of indications throughout In This Life that Jet Black Stare can move beyond these stumbling blocks if they don't mind changing their direction. On lighter numbers like "In This Life" and "Every Moment," for example, Black reveals a pleasant tenor that expresses more emotion and sincerity than growls and grunts ever could, while Flip and Muselman are free to loosen up and provide something other than driving, aggressive chords. It may not be what Jet Black Stare had in mind, but these introspective numbers are the group's strong point. ~ Katherine Fulton, All Music Guide