Mark returned to Memphis' Ardent Studios to record a bluesy R&B set that feels as funky and spontaneous as that city's finest music. Eleven of the 12 tunes are originals, and though they don't exactly forge new directions in the various roots-based genres Mark references, the performances are consistently inspired. The arrangements provide spark for a four-piece backing band that meshes with deceptive ease.

With a master's degree in English, Mark’s lyrics go places other blues-based artists just don't try. On the acoustic-driven folk ballad Fear of Grief, he growls, “Highways winding home/Jet planes and telephones/Move slower than my fear of grief.” The following 30 Lbs. in 30 Days uses the weight-loss cliché as a metaphor for thinking life can be altered quickly and easily, with soulful female backing vocals set against a perky, upbeat shuffle. A cover of the Elvis Presley/Terry Stafford nugget Suspicion employs an eerie, echoed vibe to portray a man tortured by psychotic thoughts, as whispered words float in the background like voices inside the protagonist’s head.

If this sounds too heavy, it’s not. There are plenty of toe-tappers, such as the jazzy, surfy Stake Out, the album’s only instrumental. Mark knows his way around the guitar, and his understated approach is unusual for a six-string frontman. The booklet reprints the lyrics, most of them worth reading when the music isn't playing so that you can absorb their subtleties without being distracted by the band’s sweet, sweaty blend of swamp, rock, blues, and pop."

by Hal Horowitz, Blues Revue