The Jayhawks' seventh album backs away from their "super-pop" releases like
Smile and the underrated
Sound of Lies and looks back to their earlier, rootsier sound. The band has whittled itself down again following the departures of keyboardist
Jen Gunderman and longtime guitarist
Kraig Johnson, leaving behind core songwriter and vocalist
Gary Louris, founding member
Marc Perlman on bass, and longtime drummer
Tim O'Reagan assisted by newcomer
Stephen McCarthy on guitar. Produced by
Ethan Johns (and overseen by
Rick Rubin),
Rainy Day Music goes back even further than the band's first albums, channeling the ghosts of
the Byrds,
Crosby, Stills & Nash, and
Buffalo Springfield, and interpreting their '60s folk jangle and lazy, sunny harmonies through the Jayhawks' own sweetly awkward formula. "Madman," in particular, gives the listener a sense of
Déjà Vu, sounding like a long lost
CSNY demo, and the chiming Rickenbacker 12-string guitar of the leadoff track, "Stumbling Through the Dark," could've been lifted right from the master tapes of "Mr. Tambourine Man." The first six tracks are all vintage
Louris gems -- trembling and honest, with warm melodies and hooks for days. Unfortunately, the album stumbles in the second half with the inclusion of two O' Reagan compositions (which try too hard to evoke
John Lennon's world-weary mumble and
Bob Dylan's nasal whine), and an unsuccessful stab at heartland gospel on "Come to the River." Although the summertime love song "Angelyne" and the waltzing "Will I See You in Heaven" provide bright spots near the end, the album never fully recovers. This is a real shame, since the whole affair starts so strong, and it seems as though if side B could've been trimmed by about four songs (and 15 minutes),
Rainy Day Music would stand alongside their strongest albums. Still, fans who complained that their last two albums were "too poppy" or "not rootsy enough" should be pleased with this direction, and it's certainly an album that gets better with each listen, so it may yet prove to be worth its weight in acoustic gold. ~ Zac Johnson