"From moment to moment, Jim Roll sings like the high-strung, smart mouthed bastard son of Neil Young, Captain Beefheart, Beck, Bob Dylan, Elvis P and/or C, Lou Reed and a few other immensely talented musical lunatics. Don't worry, though, he's generally armed with nothing more lethal than a guitar and an occasional "funk accordion." He's also that rare writer performer who moves you one instant and in the next is funny as hell, usually while he's poking you right in the center of a raw nerve."

With a lyrical feel somewhere between the wry glimpses of Michael Hall and the candid conversations of Lonesome Bob, and characterized by sounds akin to Hall's roots-aware smorgasbord - or, when an accordion makes the scene, maybe 5 Chinese Brothers - Ready To Hang has moved to the top of my listening pile mighty fast.

Ann Arbor, Mich., singer-songwriter Jim Roll offers up a healthy and constant rotation of music and moods on his debut, from the appealing country rock of "Old Love'' and "Never Gonna Dry'', to the rural-route funk of ''Backseat'', to the big-beat slinki- ness of "She Said''(sounding a whole lot like Steve Wynn circa Kerosene), to the gritty, acoustic- guitar-only folk of ''Train'' and "If I Was A Sailor''.

Roll's no lightweight as a lyricist, either.  Take this passage from ''The Fall'':  They made love two weeks later to the hum- ming of her bedroom fan/ And the candlelight jumped and he traced the palm of her hand/ And she jumped up from the bed and ripped a calendar from the wall/The one that her father had drawn with his hands before the fall.'' It may very well be the best scene a musician has set for me thus far in 1998.

"Since the moniker 'alt-country' was coined, the sound has become varied, branching into more rock, hard-country and blue grass offshoots. But nor for quite a while ha s new artist come along who captures the fell of that sound which helped create the genre - Jim Roll does just that in a stellar debut. At times, sounding more like Uncle Tupelo than any of the bands since, Roll perfectly blends country songwriting and instrumentation with a rock sensibility. At other times, he gets into a blues-funk groove ("Backseat") or does an uncanny Neil Young sound-alike ("Double Time"). Throughout, Roll shows off a multitude of talents: singer; songwriter (he wrote or co-wrote all 13 tracks); and multi-instrumentalist, playing guitars, fiddle, organ, and others. And he varies his style, form the Spanish feel of "She Said" to the fiddle-heavy hoedown sound of "Another Lover" to the funky "Backseat". High Marks all around."

"One of the best Alternative Country/Folk CD's of the [year]."

"13 songs about life in all its glory; the variety of one's day-to-day experience; celebrations of relationships (both good and bad) set to some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful music heard by these jaded ears in a long time. Having only heard Roll live on a couple of occasions, by himself and accompanied by other musicians, I was still taken aback by this CD. Roll's song writing skills are enhanced in a studio setting; taking already dramatic songs and turning them into vignettes with lives of their own. His lyrics are simple yet eloquent tales of life, love and the pursuit of happiness - at least in his own life - that most listeners will find themselves relating to, as if his songs are the confessions or secrets we admit only to ourselves or to a close friend. Ready to Hang is indeed a celebration of life; as well as a disc you'll find yourself playing often, satisfied with each spin. A true gem."

"This is one of the strongest local recordings I've heard in a long time. The tunes are lyrically precise and melodically appealing, and the production values are solid...another strong element in this recording is its musical diversity. At times we hear the instrumentation of REM coupled with the vocal inflections of Loudan Wainwright and other times we hear Dylan's guitar work coupled with an early Neil Young's vocal whinings. Though these sounds and influences are hinted a throughout, Roll's tunes are not derivations of other works. The real joy of this recording is how Roll makes these influences merely ephemeral. It is instead his lasting lyrical talent, his musical ear that impresses."

"Ready to Hang, in its seemingly simple meditations on love, loss, belonging, confusion, doubt and faith, is the most complex of statements by a songwriter...a small miracle."

"A mix between Rick Danko, Neil Young, Wilco, and Son Volt. You'll find everything on Ready to Hang; rock, country, folk, all electric and acoustic. Jim Roll is one of the rising stars of the new "alternative country" movement.

Produced by
  Jim Roll (except 'Double Time' produced by Brian Lillie)

Photography by
    Al Smith and Doug Coombe

Additional Musicians
    Tim Monger on accordian, penny-whistle, and toy-piano
    Jamie Monger on electric-guitar harmonica and mandolin
  Jo Serrapere on harmony vocals on She Said

Web Editor: Champagne

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Jim's bio Page

Any unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws - Thursday Records

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