Hot Sauce Johnson

Hot Sauce Johnson's debut, Truck Stop Jug Hop, fits squarely within the polished post-grunge tradition of modern-rock radio while simultaneously being slightly distinct. Perhaps that's because the group tries to bring all the various strands of late '90s modern rock -- ska, grunge, melodic jangling, lite funk, lite electronica, sheer quirkiness -- into something different, yet commercial. This results in an album that's a little schizophrenic at times (sometimes even within the same song), and their fondness for hooks means that it is certainly within commercial territory. Even if they can be a little irritating at times, as on the grunge-heavy "Lost Picasso," Hot Sauce Johnson do manage to put the pieces together in a correct, engaging way enough times to make the record a promising debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide