Jack Yarber's second album with his post-
Oblivians combo the Tennessee Tearjerkers proves that the raw cool of 2004's Don't Throw Your Love Away was no fluke, and
The Flip Side Kid shows he's in stronger and more imaginative form than ever. While the dirty blues are still Yarber's stock in trade (with the porn star's lament "John Holmes Blues" serving as a case in point), the hard rockin' boogie of the title cut, the outlaw celebration of "'Til the Money Runs Out" and the joyous R&B stomp of "Dirty Nails" are an opening Trifecta leaving no doubt he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Jack-O's shifting cast of Tearjerkers (which can range from a full band with a horn section to just Jack all by his lonesome) gives him just the noises he needs throughout, and while the production is often raw, Yarber delivers a disc that's evocative rather than rough for its own sake. As a songwriter, Yarber isn't always as impressive as he is as a musician or frontman, which is what makes this a really good album instead of a great one, but when his muse is cooperating, he can deliver a killer like "Hong Kong Girl," and that's when
The Flip Side Kid shines brightest. Memphis is still one of the great cities for American music, and with albums like this Yarber is helping to keep their traditions alive in the appropriately raw and raunchy form;
The Flip Side Kid is as satisfying as a can of PBR on a hot day. ~ Mark Deming