Jim himself will be our guest tomorrow on the LeBrain Train.
You never know what to expect from Jim Dead. Sometimes he’s mournfully acoustic, sometimes he’s raging electric with a full band. The Doubters are the latter and Pray For Rain is a powerful listening experience traversing blues, rock and country.
Opener “Wooden Kimono” is a relentless electric blues. Jim sounds tormented, as any good blues singer should. Sabbathy guitar bends on “May the Road Rise” show that this band is not afraid to mix influences. This is rock — like the better parts of Pearl Jam distilled. Blues and granite mingle gladly on the title track. It must be stated that the drums on this album are most excellently powerful.
On down the line, the album straddles the blues/rock lines, travelling all the way to the Stone Temple of grunge on “Lovesick Blues”. The brief “Trains” goes somewhere else completely different, something from the old west but in the 2000s. The leads into “Crows on the Wire”, the only overtly country song. A welcome reprise from the rising tides of heaviness.
The greatest track on the album could be “Home”, a quiet dusky number which erupts with heartfelt lead vocals that rends the soul to slivers. Echoes of Tom Waits, but not Tom Waits. This is chased by some wicked slide on “You Coulda Said” and finally, acoustic melancholy on the closer “I’m Not Lost”. A magnificent end.
Pray For Rain is an intense album. It’s heavy with feeling, and guitars. Some of the lead work is outstanding and the vocals are always fierce…yet tender. It’s focused and raw. Pray For Rain was recorded in a couple of days but the payoff is that you’ll want to listen to it for years.
mikeladano.com 
Jim on the Lebrain Train. Every week is turning into a star studded extravaganza!
Speaking of music about praying for rain, can I put in a request for a review of Disintegration by The Cure? You whet my appetite with that The Cult/Cure mix up story.
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Well, you can put in a request…I can’t guarantee how motivated I will be to write it. Maybe for Halloween, that’ll be my review for you.
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Yay!!!
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Great writeup man. That front and back cover looks stellar as well. Bravo Mr Dead and company.
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Yeah the artwork is really striking, and evokes some of the mood of the album too.
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Man, this sounds fantastic. Sounds like J. hit it out of the park with this one. Can’t wait to see him on the show…finally!!!
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All his stuff is amazing man. His I’m Not Lost EP is great. Ten Fires is great.
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I need to pick up a few of these.
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I will ask him how to get his music tomorrow! (I’m sure you can just ask lol but for the benefit of the general public, I will ask.)
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That sounds like a plan. He deserves some free publicity.
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I heard that Jim didn’t actually play on this, that it was basically Milli Vanilli Mk II. Just saying
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If true, I plan on finding out tomorrow night. Will you be watching?
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Not after that time he dropped his pants on Oprah.
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You don’t have any video of that, do you? No reason…
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Handy Jim tip: you know he’s 6’6’’? One of the taller guys I’ve ever met.
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He does sound 6’6″ when he sings.
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His lips don’t lie, then.
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Neither do his hips.
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Nice one. It’s a terrific album. Hope you have a great time!
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Now that is some mighty fine listening.
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