joe jaber

 

Joe Jaber and The Last Divide

 - Keys to the House

Upon the release of the debut disc

 by Joe Jaber and The Last Divide

three years ago, Jaber, the Detroit

Rock City native and passionate

audio enthusiast, was content to set

 modest goals. “If one person that’s

 never heard of us buys our record

and says they like it, that’s a success

 for me,” he said of his Both Sides

CD. “Honestly, I never expected to

get this far.”

They’re so cute at that stage. Say

hello to now: with the arrival of Keys

 to the House, the encore

masterpiece from Jaber

(say “Jabber” – you’ll be saying it

a lot) and his remarkable,

titanium-solid ensemble, this

self-made singer, songwriter and

 guitarist is serving notice that he is

exceeding his own wildest musical

expectations – and probably yours

as well.

A heady, captivating mélange of

rock ‘n’ roll, blues, roots, Americana

and, yes, even a dash of country,

Keys to the House showcases an

artist with loftier goals, greater

self-awareness, expansive visions.

There is unmistakable maturity and

 depth in Joe’s throaty vocals, lyrics

and musicianship over his maiden

 outing, evocative of his studio

heroes like The Allman Brothers, The

 Black Crowes, Ryan Adams and Ray

 LaMontagne. Even the title song,

“Keys to the House,” speaks to a

deeper reality than some poor

schlub who’s locked out of his

home: it’s a metaphor for everyone’s

 ongoing search to find real meaning

 in their life.

“I think I know more, realize more of

 what I want out of life, what I need

out of life,” says Joe. “I feel I’ve

grown a bit, for sure. I think I

understand more and more about

what makes a great song. It’s tough,

but I think I’m growing in a pretty

good direction. I’ve learned one

thing for sure: nothing makes me

feel better than writing a song.

Nothing.”

Those supercharged endorphins

power through each of his 10

original tracks. Feel the old-time

 houserockin’ energy of “Get the

Hell Out of Here” – every bouncer’s

 closing-time demand, given a fresh

 twist while Joe was noodling on his

 acoustic guitar. (“We end our live

shows with that,” he grins.) Sense

the pain in the mournful ballad

“Emily,” complete with pedal

steel guitar.

And savor the sonic spectacle of

“Give It to Me,” perhaps the

 quintessential Joe Jaber invention:

 a bluesy foundation melded with a

 classic soul shuffle, a sprinkling of

 jazz and another hint of country

pedal steel. It’s as if four of the

major music groups met at an

 intersection and decided to go

jogging together. And wait – is that

 the sound of a gospel organ?

“It’s all the different stuff I like to do,

 and it all comes together,” Joe says

of his work on Keys to the House. “I

 really wouldn’t want to put an

album together that has only one

kind of sound. I like some other

bands that do that, but to me it’d

be a little boring. I don’t want to

put it all in one box.”

Sometimes, though, the box closes

 in and becomes very dark. One

 signature track, “Loaded Gun,” is

 disturbing enough to make you want

 to check in on Joe and ensure that

he’s OK. (“Good days are gone, oh,

 they’re gone/When you’re choking

on a loaded gun.”)

 

“Yeah, ‘Loaded Gun’ comes from

those dark moments. It’s about a

guy who has just had it,” he says.

“No one likes to talk about it, but a

lot of us have dealt with depression

and that emotional state. ‘Loaded

Gun’ is sung from the point of view

of a person who is right on the

edge.”

The total package is so compelling

 that, for the second time in as many

 releases, the man who produced

the album – Nadir Omowale, the

 multiple Detroit Music Awards

 winner, “funk assassin” bassist,

 bandleader and record label

impresario – was compelled to play

 for a time in Joe’s live band. “Joe

and I have been friends for a few

years,” Nadir says. “He has a natural

 gift for metaphor, a unique voice

and vocal style, and I’ve enjoyed

 watching him grow and mature into

 something special.”

The disc also features an all-star

cast of Detroit heavyweights

including Kid Rock keyboardist

Jimmie Bones, indie rocker Chris

 Degnore on guitar, stalwart

drummer Daniel Lago, legendary

Detroit guitarist Duane Allen Harlick,

 noted for his work in The Big

Picture, and Chrissy Morgan,

the hardest working woman in

Motor City music, on vocals.

Given the tribulations of the

 independent musician, it took

nearly a year and a half to finish

Keys to the House. Now, like a

force of nature unleashed, Joe is

 throwing his pent-up energy and

 outstanding showmanship into

 unveiling his new songs in live

 performances. “I remind myself

how blessed I am to be doing this,

 but it’s a complete rollercoaster,

man,” says Joe.

“All in all, though, nothing makes

me feel like music does. That’s why

I almost feel like I have to do it. It’s

 definitely going now, and I don’t

want it to slow down.”

 

– Jim McFarlin, former rock critic

and TV columnist for The

Detroit News, The (Detroit) Metro

Times and frequent contributor

 to other Midwest and national

 publications.