Here he goes again! As the title of the final track on the Craig Jackson Band‘s new effort suggests, Jackson is back with a fine mix of countryfied Americana style rock tunes on Sweeter Songs, a 6 song ep set for release on his Green Records label April 30th.
Jackson was fortunate to work with much sought after Nashville-based producer, Ken Coomer. The magic happened at Creative Workshop, one of the many top notch recording studios in Berry Hill, an area just south of town that has come to be known as Nashville’s “second Music Row.”
The six song EP is a mix of rock & roll, folk-pop, and Americana which teams Jackson with all-star musicians including bassist David La Bruyere (John Mayer, Shawn Mullins), Juno award-winning blues guitarist Colin Linden (Lindi Ortega), backing vocalist Scotty Huff (Keith Urban, The Mavericks), and organist John Lancaster. Adam Ollendorff (Will Hoge, Kaycee Musgraves), who also appeared on Jackson’s 2009 release Damn The Roses, contributes electric guitar, 12-string steel and lap steel, while Aaron Oliver adds upright bass to “Much Too Long.”
Jackson has a history of writing and touring with Curb Records artist Ruth Collins, and they collaborate again here on “A Little Love”. Coomer – whose résumé includes a six-year run as drummer for Wilco and work with Will Hoge, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris- doubles as the EP’s producer and drummer. “Ken really captured the rootsy kind of rock vibe I was feeling with these songs,” Jackson says. “Adding his incredible drum and percussion talent gives them a fresh sound I wasn’t expecting, but am totally in love with. Working with him stretched me in ways I would never have thought to explore.”
Currently based in East Nashville, Craig Jackson was born in Southern California, where he grew up surrounded by the sun-baked California Rock of the Grateful Dead, Tom Petty and Jackson Browne, drawing on those influences with Sweeter Songs. The choice of fruit crate label art for the EP cover compliments the warm vibe of his music and songwriting.
Earlier releases from the Craig Jackson Band include Last House on the Left, Midwest, Spanish Rain, and Damn the Roses, which have enjoyed airplay on radio stations across the country, including Nashville’s Lightning 100 and Los Angeles’ KLOS 95.5. A national campaign to Americana and Non-Commercial radio kicks off April 29.
As the title suggests, Sweeter Songs may just be the sweetest batch of songs Craig Jackson has ever written.
Sweeter Songs Track Listing:
A Sweeter Song (co-written by Adam Ollendorff)
A Little Love (co-written by Ruth Collins)
Much Too Long (co-written by Don Gallardo)
Things Get Lost
Sound Of The World
Here I Go Again (co-written by Adam Ollendorff)