If every artist ultimately creates a dividing line among fans, then Sacramento singer-songwriter Jackie Greene, who built a rabid following with a string of gritty records, split the camp with 2006’s studio-polished American Myth, his first and last album for Verve Forecast, which terminated his multi-record contract while the ink was still wet. Sent back to the minors another major-label budget casualty, Greene regrouped for his fifth album, Giving Up The Ghost. The title is a bit of a misnomer — Greene is, after all, back on an indie label forging ahead with his career, and the pop sheen he fought for on American Myth remains intact. But this is Greene’s current M.O. He’s unabashedly careerist — telling Sactown magazine recently that he covets a Top 10 hit — and certainly he has the chops to at least make a dent in Triple-A radio. That seems the best fit for Giving Up The Ghost, an album of serviceable roots-inflected pop-rock. Like Ryan Adams, the clever Greene is best when he’s not trying to be too clever or radio-friendly, despite his lofty aspirations. He’s damn near snarling, offering no apologies for the man he is on the bluesy “Animal,” while “Uphill Mountain” imagines John Mellencamp fronting the E Street Band to fine effect. If you’re looking for something rough around the edges ala Lucero or Drive-By Truckers, this ain’t it. But if you find nothing objectionable — even likeable — about Ryan Adams’ pop sensibilities, don’t hide from this Ghost.
--Chad Dryden [April 4, 2008]
