Americana artist Jeb Lipson’s organic rock-tinged songs are laced with harmonies and tasty guitar fills that remind us of Tom Petty, especially on “She Changed Her Mind.” With its sardonic lyric about finding the Savior, “Death Row Jesus” is fueled by a barroom swagger that shows another dimension to this artist. Best of the batch, though, is the poignant “Pocket Knife,” where the singer looks back to when his father conveyed worldly wisdom (“cut against the grain”) symbolized by the knife—the same wisdom and blade the singer now passes on to his own son. – Mark Nardone
Score: 8 out of 10
