Signs and SignifiersRounder ****

One of the main issues with roots music, in this case first generation rock'n'roll, is how to marry respect for authenticity to contemporary relevance. Singer/guitarist JD McPherson is ahead of us. "What is retro? Is Adele too retro? To me, Adele sounds like a product of her influences." The Oklahoman illustrates his point with a interesting and insistent debut album grounded in the 1950s but which nods subtly to more recent sounds. McPherson, along with mainmen bassist/ producer Jimmy Sutton and drummer/engineer Alex Hall, stir the music with a swagger. There's a knowingness that goes beyond a mere love of what McPherson terms "the swinging, visceral abandon of real rock'n' roll." Yet tracks such as Firebug, Northside Girl and Scandalous convey just that. Maybe he's found his true métier, "because as much as I love artists like Joseph Beuys, I love David Bowie and Little Richard more". jdmcpherson.com

Download tracks:Northside Girl, Scandalous