CD Review

Indisputably, Jesse Malin has evolved. The former front man for 90’s punk rockers D Generation has matured into that of a rock troubadour. Although this elicits off beat comparisons to his close friend Ryan Adams, the similarities are intriguing nonetheless. If Adams’ 2003 release Rock N Roll was the album Jesse Malin hoped to make, than it safe to say The Heat is the album Adams wished he perhaps created. Even the linear notes credit - supersonic production guidance by Ryan Adams- so, perhaps the tradeoff is relative.

Exposing stories of the weary down and outer, Malin is the sensitive loner whose songs conjure the luckless images of smoky taverns and scribbles on cocktail napkins. Throughout The Heat, there is a revolving theme of Malin’s failed relationships with woman. In "Swinging Man" he confesses, "We never had a baby but she got more tattoos/And I got more material for the blues." The art rock layers of "Silver Manhattan" anguishes in heartbreak, while "Block Island" sings of a rekindled flame – exposing Malin’s optimistic side. Breaking from the soggy disclosures, Malin throws in "Going Out West" and "Indian Summer" a folk and new wave rocker graced with underlying hope.

Featuring a tight band of session players that include Adams, Pete Yorn, and other NYC friends, the musicianship on The Heat’s 14 songs seductively plays to Malin’s snarling words. Although works like The Heat have been done previously in many forms, it is still a poignant release that sparks with pain, solace and penetrating observations that reveal Jesse Malin as an honest punk rocker turned storyteller.