The first Just Jinger album, 'All Comes Round', made an impression on me only because I lent it to my neighbour who played it loud and non-stop until it began to insinuate itself into my brain. Their second release, the five song EP 'Something For Now', wasn't too bad either and between them, these two CDs sold approximately 130,000 copies, making Just Jinger the most successful SA rock band of the decade (ever?). Add to that the fact that the band's line-up has changed a few times and you'll see why this, their second full-length album has caught the interest of all those fans and critics alike. So, 'Here's To You' arrives in a blaze of glory, hype and expectation leaving me feeling a little anxious about reviewing it. I decided to avoid those "Counting Crows copyists" and "Just Art" references and give it a few decent listens before spewing forth, and now I'm even more confused.  While I recognise and respect the effort and skill that went into making this album, it's really not my bag. But after hearing it a few times, I must admit that it has its merits and is certain to please all those who bought and loved the first two albums (and that recent live video).

This is definitely Art Matthew's album and he's stamped his creativity, style and ideas all over it. It's a big, strong and bold album with a crisp and upfront production and intelligent arrangements (kudos to Chris Gelakis!). Not all the songs are winners but as a whole it works well. The title track seems a little iffy until we find out that it's a tribute to South Africa, which makes it a little more relevant. But Art feels that his "soft-loud-soft" method of rock ballad song-writing has worked so far, so why change it. He wrote all these songs, so they tend to sound a little samey (Art imitating life?). But so do all those Pearl Jam albums, which this resembles, so let's not write it off for that reason. The band has crammed 13 tracks into 47 minutes so they've kept it compact and trim. 'Perfect Ground' is a confident opening track followed by 'Here's To You' and the soaring 'All Around'. 'Those Days' is a lovely ballad with some gorgeous guitars lifting the song to epic status. 'Many Things' and 'Truly Faithful' are speedy without being dance-worthy and 'Feeling Loving' and 'No Friend' are no slouches in the head-banging department either. So, after hearing this a few times I'm still not completely convinced either way. But a lot of you are going to buy this, regardless, so you decide. I'm more concerned about my neighbour who just bought the Britney Spears and Lou Bega CDs.

Stephen "Sugar" Segerman

others in the REVIEWS

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