I Know What You Did Last Weekend

In reviewing the latest offering from the Jackson Family, I found a rehash of some of their earlier hits with a few surprises. The disc starts off with a jazzy little number that you would not expect from the Jacksons.  The first track, Aunt, is the tale of a new aunt caring for her twin nieces in addition to her usual menagerie.  The song was achingly beautiful but somewhat unusual in its approach.  Humor was interlaced throughout the love so you didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or just dance. I think the Jacksons may be experimenting with a new direction. If this is to be it, it will be fun and kinetic with just enough intellectualism to satisfy the trendsters. 

The rest of the tracks are filled with the edgy tension and rollicking good times you have come to expect from this group.  While the familiarity felt like home, the familiar may cause this group to become lackadaisical in their approach to producing new material.

Another surprising track is called Hiking “A” Mountain. It features 3 members of the group that are generally in the background.  It tells the tale of three intrepid adventurers tackling one of the rites of passage in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It starts out strong with a rockabilly flavor and ends with a melodious lullaby that soothes the aches and pains from pitting man against nature. This little ditty left me with the warm and fuzzies.  There is a bonus track on this disc called President’s Day Cleanup.  This track seemed like an afterthought stuck at the end of a well crafted, if predictable, disc.

Overall this is a decent compilation of tracks. There could have been a little more energy and excitement. But for a group that has been in the business as long as the Jacksons, this was a solid effort filled with strong production and some inspired topics. If you have the time, be sure to check out this group. I give them 3 1/2 Mics out of 5 mics total.

This review was inspired by the daily prompt at wordpress.com.  Check out some of the below links to see the original prompt and other responses to it.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/daily-prompt-b/

http://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/daily-prompt-b/

http://natalieelizabethbeech.com/2013/02/23/10-degrees-of-separation/

http://linesbylinda.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/daily-prompt-b-being-shut-in-but-not-shut-out/

http://jitterygt.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/critics-are-the-of-the-earth/

http://no1queenie.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/daily-prompt-b/

http://angloswiss.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/daily-prompt-b/