Jack Grace 5: All The Above, It’s So Nice, Seven Cuts

As it turned out, we did have to wait four years for more new music to play on demand from Jack Grace, but that wasn’t due to any writer’s drought. Three related yet distinct releases give a glimpse of what he’s been up to in that time, and display his diversity.

All The Above finds him still in a mildly country mindset, but mostly in the instrumentation. James Buhre’s upright bass fits nicely with both drummers, while the legendary Earl Poole Ball’s piano livens up “Don’t Go To Memphis (Without Me)” and elsewhere. These are pleasant little strums, starting with the opening plea to “Ban Jo” through the simple pleasures in “Sunshine”. The lyrics are as sharp as ever, with a distinct “c’mon cheer up already” attitude that’s directed within as well as without. “Sweetening The Decisions” and “Wildflowers Thrive After Rain” provide wonderful perspective in the face of plaints like “Oh Woe Is Me”, “Wrong To Feel Right”, “I Will Complain”, and “What’s Your Problem”. To sum it all up, “I Love You More Every Day” layers guitars, vocals, and harmonica with the sweet voice of a toddler.

That last track makes a nice setup for It’s So Nice, “a family album for kids and their grownups” credited to Wandering Jack and featuring most of the players from All The Above. This collection of sweet, mostly original songs is just plain charming, almost daring the listener not to smile. Here his voice is still his own, but gentle, suitable for long car rides and not likely to disrupt nap time. Songs like “You Are Traveling On A Boat” and “Hot Buttered Roll” are whimsical and fun, and “More Than The Sun” and “Mommy Was A Baby Once” are nice family singalongs. Animals figure prominently, and not just when he makes the familiar noises. You already know the melody of “The Ants Go Marching”, and his update of “Humpty Dumpty” is very original.

Musically, “John Robin” and “Bam Boom” (something of a cousin to McCartney’s “Bip Bop” but with more substance) could be relics of Grace’s beginnings in Steak, the not-quite jam band from Boulder and Frisco who made their biggest mark with “Big Bear” as featured in the movie Super Troopers. Their first new music of the 21st century, Seven Cuts picks up where they left off, with jazzy chords and weird lyrics, both tinged with Spanish, about crises real (such as those in “Veronica” and “Another Threat”) and existential, and such activities as “Fishing With Chico” and “Shooting Turkeys From The Car”. Throughout, Grace’s voice and guitar blends with those of Erik Lieblien, Mike Jay and Stu Damm drive the back line, and band friend Quentin Jennings contributes lots of electric piano. Too bad there’s only seven cuts.

Jack Grace Band All The Above (2025)—4
Wandering Jack It’s So Nice (2025)—3
Steak Seven Cuts (2025)—3½

Jack Grace 4: What A Way To Spend A Night

The COVID-19 pandemic affected musicians of all income brackets, with the independent, self-managed troubadours the hardest hit. So it was that What A Way To Spend A Night by the Jack Grace Band fell once again to the machinations or lack thereof in what currently passes for the industry, and sat on the back of the proverbial stove. Luckily, nothing got burned.

Just as he’s evolved from the overt country approach of his earlier work, so has the band evolved, this time featuring Fabian Bonner on bass and Ian Griffith on drums, local boys from Cambridge in the UK, where the album was recorded. Such economy works for an album that sports a breadth of musical styles, all still within the established Jack Grace brand.

Along with the solid songwriting, another key to the album’s cohesiveness is the variety of keyboards throughout, via Bill Malchow. They’re particularly profound on “The Monster Song”, from the accordion waltz intro through the spooky organ to the double-speed ragtime bridge that gets sucked into an old victrola for a wonderful coda. We hear an evocation of early Tom Waits on “You’d Be Disappointed (If I Didn’t Disappoint You)”, and the Broken Mariachi Horns inject their patented color into “Here Comes The Breeze”. The rhythm section is particularly attentive on “Bearded Man”, which takes the simplest riff into Hendrix territory—no, really—after every exhorted “swing!” By contrast, “I’m A Burglar” is a sneaky little metaphor for something; we’re just not sure what.

The unexpected chord voicings in the instrumental “Smokehouse Discrepancy” turn the 12-bar blues on its ear, providing a nice break at the halfway point, and cleansing the palette for “Broken Melody”, a heartbreaking highlight of not just this album but his catalog. “Don’t Wanna Work Today” is probably the closest to the drinking songs of an earlier decade, while a title like “Mr. Sanderson & Sons Amazing Secret Traveling Show” will remind some of a certain track by The Band, but the arrangement shines, particularly in the mass harmonies. “Nobody Brought Me Nothing” is just plain infectious and fun, and “Chinatown” will whet your appetite for your local take-out or dine-in place while keeping you on your toes with the shifting rhyme scheme. (And it never once falls back on any musical cliché.)

What A Way To Spend A Night is solid from start to finish, and actually improves with time. Between club appearances and Internet streams we’ve heard each of these songs several times, yet it says a lot when a seasoned live performer manages to capture the definitive versions on playable media. Let’s not wait four years for the next one.

Jack Grace Band What A Way To Spend A Night (2021)—4

Jack Grace 3: Everything I Say Is A Lie

By his own admission, Jack Grace can easily write “funny” songs, as evidenced by some of the tracks in his catalog. Rather than get typecast as a novelty act, Everything I Say Is A Lie puts the emphasis on his capabilities as a songwriter. One hint is that the album is credited to just him, and not the Jack Grace Band.

Musically, it runs the gamut from country and folk to rock and blues, with different keyboards helping to expose his early obsession with the Beatles. “Burned By The Moonlight” begins with a hint of the mariachi influence that colored his last album, but soon turns to a bluesy shuffle. “Get Out Of Brooklyn” provides both history and a contemporary portrait of the hip borough, complete with banjo. “Run To Me” has some swampy electric piano, leading into the acoustic Neil Young stylings of “Being Poor”. “So We Run”, which closes the album, is a psychedelic folk song in a variety of tempos and a wonderful open tuning.

Producer and veteran cowpunk Eric Ambel provides lead guitar all over the place, and the radiant Daria Grace offers her exquisite harmonies and bass guitar, but the big surprise is two appearances by Norah Jones, singing a duet on the grungy “Bad Wind Blowing” and joining in the responses for the classic title track, right up to the key change guaranteed to stand the hair on your neck. Lest anyone worry that he’s gone all serious on us, “Kanye West (I Hear That You’re The Best)” skewers that guy and many other media sensations, and should keep Jack from being invited to perform at any awards ceremonies anytime soon. Their loss, because “I Like You” is the kind of song any modern country singer can have a hit with just by sticking to his arrangement.

Everything I Say Is A Lie is short, at nine songs, but they’re all good. It’s a shame it’s over so quickly. Modern music industry shenanigans kept the album from general release for over two years; hopefully he’s written more in the meantime.

Jack Grace Everything I Say Is A Lie (2017)—4

Jack Grace 2: Drinking Songs For Lovers

Still one of the hardest working men in the business, Jack Grace’s latest album confirms his deserved title as reigning Martini Cowboy. Drinking Songs For Lovers was quietly released last year, as might be expected for an indie release, but was immediately hailed by legendary New York City deejay Vin Scelsa for its excellence. Not bad for a year full of sensory overload.

The production is crisp and the musicianship is tight, from Jack’s multitude of guitars to Daria’s bass; she even gets to do a smooth lead vocal on “Drank Yourself Into A Corner”. The Broken Mariachi Horns (so-billed) build on the Tex-Mex flavor of his last album, particularly on “So Ugly” and “Haven’t Had A Birthday”, and even provide a soulful Stax feel on “True Tonight”. (You want legends? How about John Sebastian and Earl Poole Ball, both on this album?)

As the title would suggest, the songs continue the tradition of country songs about drinking, but without ever sounding redundant. Music is supposed to be fun, so the many songs about overindulgence provide clever wordplay designed to incite whoops and hollers. And it’s amazing that nobody else—country, Western or otherwise—has attempted to write a song about “The Worst Truck Driver”. (At the risk of spoiling it, here’s the best line: “Your stuff would get there faster if you left it on the street.”)

But despite the fun and games, reality hits on the last track, a sentimental tribute the sadly departed Drew Glackin, whose pedal steel can be heard just as the album ends. The sentiment is heartfelt, and the message is universal.

You need a sense of humor to enjoy Drinking Songs For Lovers, so if the lyrics bug you, concentrate on the music instead. That said, the cover is a scream.

Jack Grace Band Drinking Songs For Lovers (2010)—3

Jack Grace 1: The Martini Cowboy

Don’t be fooled by the song titles, nor by the headgear: this is not a straight country album. To pigeonhole it so would do a grave injustice to the wide variety of musical styles encompassed within.

The Martini Cowboy runs the gamut from blues to swing to jazz, shaken and stirred with a smooth finish. “Try Not To Cry” has a near-bossa nova feel, and there are echoes of Louis Armstrong in “Sugar Bear” (though truth be told, the live version kicks the album track’s butt). “Spike Down” is a blazing stomper any bluesman would be proud to cover. If you’re looking for a chaser, the “Sapphire Martini” interludes more than satisfy.

Of course, those in the mood for classic country will feel right at home with “What I Drink And Who I Meet At The Track”. Jack Grace is a man who’s shared stages and bills with the likes of Merle Haggard, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Junior Brown (as well as Jerry Lee Lewis and Norah Jones), so he’s definitely got his feet planted in a certain tradition. After all, without songs about drinkin’ and love lost or found, what is country music about?

That tradition comes through with songs like “Rotary Phone” and the defiant acknowledgement of sides one and two in the CD booklet. His voice has a pleasing rumble and twang, with clever turns of phrase and sweet decorations from a pedal steel guitar played by the late, great Drew Glackin. The whole band is tight, anchored by Daria Grace’s solid bass work and her pristine harmonies wafting through just right. Each of the songs are distinct and catchy, shot through with a distinctly New York City attitude. Downtown is generally where you can catch him, but in addition to his regular residencies at the Rodeo Bar and Barbe’s in Brooklyn, he’s also huge in Ireland.

Jack Grace is a true original who exudes absolute joy in what he does. And he still would have been a better choice for Walk The Line than that Phoenix character.

Jack Grace Band The Martini Cowboy (2006)—3½