This solo debut by
Shudder to Think guitarist
Nathan Larson contains the string-backed duet single "Just Because a Man Expects Me To," which
Larson recorded with wife
Nina Persson. Full of buoyant hooks and choruses,
Jealous God sounds like a slightly mellowed
Shudder to Think record and is sustained from start to finish by
Larson's undeniably catchy, lyrically smart songcraft, which explores heartbreak, infidelity, and suicide in tunes that make one want to join in at the choruses. Produced by Clive Langer and
Alan Winstanley (
Elvis Costello,
Morrissey), the album moves from an organic,
Costello-inspired post-punk soul on "The Night I Broke Three Hearts" to
T.Rex-tinged glam on "One Perfect Stranger" to gospelly devotion on "Hello Flame." ~ Travis Drageset