On the rootsy-twangy
All In, ex-
Tsunami Bomb leader
Jay Northington returns with a band whose name is a subtle variation on his own.
Northington's hoarse bark of a voice sounds at times hauntingly like that of
Social Distortion's
Mike Ness, especially on the hectoring "Sell Out," which could easily pass as an outtake from
SD's
White Light, White Heat, White Trash.
Northington mostly keeps on the right side of the country-punk hybrid throughout
All In, particularly on the excellent "Bottom Line" and "This Means War." However, the album ends with the botched melodrama of the acoustic protest tune "The Death of Jim Green," on which
Northington overreaches something fierce and ends up merely sounding hectoring and ridiculous. Aside from that misstep, however,
Nothington's
All In is some pretty decent blue-collar punk 'n' roll.