Sample This

The press kit for Jon Pousette-Dart's second comeback album claims that the title track refers to the over-processed, sample-heavy sound of contemporary pop music, to which this stripped-down album stands in opposition. One could also argue that the loose, live-in-the-studio feel of this album is possibly due to budget constraints, but that's a bit unkind; actually, the laid-back, intimate, and live feel of Sample This is an enormous improvement over the ultra-slick, note-perfect and basically vacuous albums that the Jon Pousette-Dart Band recorded in the soft rock '70s. At that time, songs like the good-timey "Look What Love Has Done" would have its bongos/acoustic guitar/blues harmonica groove gunked over with a dozen superstar session musicians who added a lot to the recording budget, but little to the music. The set list also includes a few covers, from a swell take on Little Feat's "Roll Um Easy," to a surprisingly effective, bluesy take on Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me." Unpretentious and agreeably mellow, Sample This could well be Jon Pousette-Dart's best work yet.