Jesse Malin’s 2002 debut album ‘The Fine Art of Self-Destruction’ marked quite a progression for the New York rocker, from frontman with glam punkers D Generation to country tinged singer-songwriter. The Heat marks another impressive progression, as this time it sees him stepping out from the shadow of best mate, collaborator and alt-country poster boy Ryan Adams to firmly establish himself as a formidable force in his own right.
Written mainly whilst touring on the road and produced by Malin himself, it’s hard to avoid thinking that this is the type of album that Adams was attempting with ‘Rock’n’Roll’, a record strangely lacking in the sort of authenticity that The Heat has in abundance.
Though there are plenty of references to the travelling salesman lifestyle of touring, be it dealing with “The Shining meets Spinal Tap” scenarios on the excellent, driving single ‘Hotel Columbia’ or “hanging with the local talent/drinking like Shane McGowan” on ‘Mona Lisa’, the lyrics are still very much rooted in his hometown. Like his debut, it’s an ‘urban slice of life’ record, and though still personal this time he’s broadened the palette to paint more pictures and characters such as the girl blown in from the Mid West, innocent, stoned and “bleeding like a Tennessee Williams play” on the slowburning, drowning distortion of ‘Silver Manhattan’.
Malin deals in a kind of tough but loveable gutter poetry, delivered in a yearning croon that for the most part pulls off the impressive task of managing to sound authentic without being angsty, poetic without being pretentious.
Unsurprisingly, post-9/11 NY politics also get a mention, with the rocking ‘New World Order’ in particular setting out its stall early with the opening line “The cocaine cowboy is going back to war”. Personal favourite, however, has to be ‘Since Your In Love’, with driving verses and beautifully restrained melodies that will have you humming and tapping well after it’s finished playing. Difficult second album? Pah! Now the only question is whether Ryan Adams next record will feature a blurb saying ‘Best friends with Jesse Malin…”