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Jackie Greene: Till The Light Comes

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In the mid ‘90s, Jackie Greene recorded albums in his makeshift garage studio. But, over the past decade, he’s toured with the likes of Phil Lesh, and quickly garnered a reputation for creating New Millennium Americana. His latest album, Till The Light Comes, finds the maturing singer/songwriter offering a 10-track sojourn into his own psyche where, at 29, the waters of human suffering prove difficult to navigate. In “The Holy Land,” Greene sings, “there’s a price for paradise that I am made to pay,” his gossamer croon ironically juxtaposed against lyrics mired in the harsh realities of war. And on “Grindstone,” hammering percussion makes Greene mind-numbing domesticity achingly narrative palpable. But weighty insights are balanced alongside fist-pumping rock-revelries (“Spooky Tina,” “Medicine”) so jubilant they create an album whose sum remains uplifting and accessible. Half pop, half poetic— and all good.