ILLINOIS-BORN Jason Ringenberg was delivering his own distinctive brand of Americana long before the genre was even blessed with a name, fusing the unbridled energy of new wave with the homespun charms of country music as he made his name with Jason and the Scorchers during the early 1980s.
A good deal of water has flowed beneath the proverbial bridge since those heady days but Ringenberg remains one of the most vital and engaging performers that you could ever wish to hear and his latest solo offering serves up a finely judged blend of freshly minted new material such as Keep Your Promise and heartfelt revivals of timeless ditties such as the Carter Family’s The Storms Are on the Ocean and Hank Williams’s You Win Again.
Rhinestoned doesn’t spring too many surprises on the unwary listener but is well worth hearing nonetheless.
by Kevin Bryan