Judge Jackson - 2007 - Judge Jackson [128]

Judge Jackson, the kings of the Inland Empire, who have played at every biker rally from Riverside to San Bernardino, have put out a self-released album that incorporates all the best aspects of traditional, balls-to-the-wall rock & roll. Led by singer/vocalist Todd McTavish, guitarist Lee Jackson, bassist Ryan Rogers and HITS’ own J.J. Garcia on drums, the band takes those hoary rock cliches of being an outlaw (“Bandit”), finding the right woman (“Hold My Hand,” with its affecting McTavish harp solo) or simply “Hangin’ On” and transforms them all into indelible truths by sheer force of real-life commitment. The band comes off like a cross between vintage Crazy Horse and AC/DC, creating a series of snapshots that are as timeless as this brand of rock gets, with a an honest-to-goodness flick-your-cell phone power ballad in “With You” and a touching tribute to war veterans based on an actual meeting in “Lift the Bottle.”

(Front Cover)

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