Customer Reviews

2

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The excellence of this CD sneaks up on you. On first listen, you think, "Hey, this is a pretty cool CD!" You listen again and you wonder why these tunes are still running through your head more than 4 hours later. Next few listens, you're thinking, "These guys are musical geniuses! Listen to that intricate drumming! That bass! Those soaring, emotional guitar solos! Listen to the way they all meld together into one of sickest, most infectious jams I've ever heard!"

Next, you realize it's been 6 months and you STILL haven't taken the CD out of your car's player.

Next you're seeking professional help for your Jelly Jam addiction.

Needless to say, this is a standout rock album. After their first CD (also a stellar effort of equal caliber) I expected nothing less. But what we have on Jelly Jam 2 is even more than I was expecting!

If you like creative, intricate, melodic rock that leans toward heavy but not hard core, you'll LOVE this CD. If you're a rock musician, you'll LOVE this CD. If you like the Beatles, King's X, Dream Theater, or anything sounding like a mixture of anything in-between...

Say it with me: You'll LOVE this CD.

You know what? You'll just LOVE this CD.

I just got the newest from Tabor,Myung,and Morgenstein yesterday and I must say after 2 or 3 listenings it is already much better than the first!It is much more consistent and harder edged than the first. The songwriting is more cohesive, and Myung shines more on this than the previous or either of the Platypus CD's. The highlights so far for me are "Coming Round","Empty","Angel or Devil", and "Allison".This is starting to send more like a permanent band-and hopefully we'll see a tour in the future-but it's very doubtful with the busy scheldues of Dream Theater,King's X, and The Dregs. Alot of this still sounds alot like King's X-but is enough different to make any serious Rock fan satisfied, and seems to have a little more of a modern aggressive sound! A must have!!!!

(3.5 stars) The Jelly Jam 2 was, needless to say, *much* anticipated here after the unsurprisingly tasty blend of the first. And while the sophomore release mostly satisfies, it seems more like the taste of leftovers to me. The opening duo of "Not Today" and the effervescent "Coming Round" just don't really satisfy, and it takes the massive riffage of "Empty" to get things back on track. "Drop The Gun" sounds like another recycled chunk of the "Kings Dance" jam from the first album, with Ty's weakest vox on either of the two albums - but it's just a prelude to the album's unquestionable winner "Allison", which blew my mind with its totally organic maelstrom outro and off-kilter harmonies. "She Was Alone" is also great, with some excellent layered vocal work (including the use of what sounds like a vocoder) and a poppy mantra ("No, don't need it, well, might need it") countering a heavy stacatto riff with Rod Morgenstein's turn-on-a-dime drumming. Ty's lyrics seem more scattershot and random ("Not Today") and the tired "Maybe" just doesn't add anything to the pantheon of failed relationship songs. Continuing along that vein, "War Is..." is certainly a thunderous concluding shot from these guys - but maybe there's something a little more profound to say about it than "War Is Hell"? And that's really my biggest nit, there just seems to be less substance on this album than the first. Overall the production seems a little less vanilla on this album, more lively - and already-fans will need to own this for "Allison" alone, but newbies should get acquainted with the stronger first album before this one.

This album is a bit different then what someone might expect coming into it through Dream Theater. It's not so much prog as it is just rock. That's not to say that it is bad though, it's not. It takes a few listens before it really starts to sink in. The opening track "Not Today" is catchy but it is also something that will be a bit fresh with each listen. Some of the songs have catchy riffs, some don't. All of them are really good though. It's good to hear Myung do something a bit different from Dream Theater though. Ty seems at home through all the songs as Rod doesn't seem out of place either. It's a good album to own if you are a fan of one of more members of the band, and also if you aren't fans of any of them.

For anyone who is a fan of King's X, Dream Theater or the Dixie Dregs, this album will bring hours of listening joy.

First of all, the chemistry between Ty Tabor, John Myung and Rod Morgenstein is just tremendous this time around. If you heard the first Jelly Jam album and liked it at all this one will blow you away. The music is complex yet imminently listenable and so solid it sounds like a single symphonic organism. The vocals and lyrical work are everything you've ever come to love from Ty.

Besides the musicianship exhibited on this album (Rod's drum work just blew me away), the musical production is also ridiculously awesome. Ty has been honing his production and engineering skills for some time with King's X and solo albums as well as his studio, but this one reads like a sonic magnum opus. The tones, feel and finish he put on this album is remarkable.

You can tell that each member of The Jelly Jam loved every minute of creating this magnificent work of art. I can only hope they don't stop here!

I really hoped this would be this good and it is. Ty Tabor is the John Lennon of modern prog. It's heavy, yet remains melodic and hook laden. I've been a Rod Morgenstein fan since the Dixie Dregs days and thought John Myong was wonderful with Dream Theater. What a rhythm section with these two!! Production is top notch and you'll love it the first time through. BUY IT.

After the first CD, I didn't think that there was going to be another, and man I am glad that there was. Absolutely epic sounds from these guys. Ty can spin a song better than anyone in the industry today, and he's not a bad guitar player either ;) I hope and pray that there will be a 3.

Rod is the star on this one. It seems like Ty brought the drums up alot in the mix because Rod was out of his mind with his playing on this record. I feel that the songs have better hooks than the first Jelly Jam and the production is better as well. Great album. If you're a Dream Theater or King's X vertical collector, put this one in the pile. Solid.

I like myself a good Coldplay or U2 anyday. But nothing beats the bluesybeetlesque feel of a good Ty Tabor project.

Will the world ever wake up to this mans talent? Ty Tabor is the best singer/songwriter today.