Customer Reviews

Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The album has no real style, and it seems as if he needs to find a vision for what he wants to be. The songs jump from light alternative to pop to country and then back to pop... all with annoying intro/outro tracks between many of the songs.

Don't buy the whole album. You're better off downloading just a few songs:
What Do You Want
Old School New Again
One More Drinkin' Song
Lover, Lover (which I'm sure you already know)

He has two very catchy singles on country radio, but I wouldn't mind if he faded off the radar.

Having heard the last half of "Lover, Lover" on the radio completely by accident (I rarely leave a country station on for more than 2 seconds), I became hooked and made it a point to find out who this artist was and hear more. I even contacted the local country radio station to help me find out the name of the tune and the artist (I had no idea about either). It took literally seconds for the radio station to advise me. I went out and bought it immediately. It is now one of my favorite albums/cd's, and "Lover, Lover" is worth the price of admission. It is a uniquely done album/cd - there is an intro, an intermission, and some talking bits that become overly "cute" after the 2nd or 3rd listen, plus a song that (to me) should have been a throwaway ("They Should Have Named You Cocaine"). Otherwise, the songs are strong and fun, and I highly recommend it. This is a talented guy.

I love this man's voice! There are several great songs on this CD, my two favorites being "Lover, Lover," and "What Do You Want?" I would give this CD 5 stars, but the talking between tracks is somewhat annoying. That's just my opinion. The music is awesome!

This is terrible! What's up with all the talking? Love Lover, Lover but everything else is very bad. About the time I thought a song might be good the lyrics took a turn for the worst. Jerrod has a wonderful voice but very poor material.

Prime Cuts: They Should Have Named Her Cocaine, Lover, Lover, Old School New Again

The Nashville conveyor belt took a hiatus with the release of Niemann's "Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury." Though Niemann describes himself as a "throwback" and a "hat act," Niemann's music in reality defies genre or eras. He throws into the mix a pinch of traditional country, sultry R&B, 70s Eagles rock and today's pop-edged country yet without restricting himself to any single sonic form. On the cursory level, with 20 tracks this CD looks inflated with music. However, on closer inspection 8 out of these are humorous interludes and skits (often spoken). As the album title "Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury" hints, Niemann also has a knack for humor. Often they work but after repeated listens, they lose their stint. As for the twelve real musical cuts, Niemann co-wrote or wrote 10 out of them with single "Lover, Lover" being a cover of Sonia Dada's hit and Robert Earl Keen's "The Buckin' Song."

After a cinematic opening sampled from the free garnered from google that starts off like a movie trailer, Niemann segues into the traditional leaning "They Should Have Named Her Cocaine." A delightful excursion into stone cold country territory this steel laden ballad speaks of love's addiction with some lazy jazzy nuances. Niemann does well in covering Sonia Dada's "You Don't Treat Me No Good" wisely giving it a cutesier title "Lover, Lover." Layered with harmony vocals (all done by Niemann himself) over a catchy sing-a-long melody, this is the perfect vehicle to ride Niemann to the upper echelon of the chart. The other cover is Robert Earl Keen's "The Bucking Song"--a fun novelty number that adds to the comic relief of the album's flow. The pendulum swings back to rustic fold with the gorgeous John Anderson-esque "Old School New Again." Maybe what makes "Old School New" so alluring is it is biographical as Niemann searches his heart as to how he feels about his love for traditional country music. On the other hand, "Come Back to Me" is a slick gaudy R&B tinged ballad that ought to make Niemann viable in today's market of Underwoods and Swifts.

Though Niemann first made a name for himself first as a songwriter penning Garth Brooks' "Good Ride Cowboy," Flynnville Train's "Redneck Side of Me," and Jamey Johnson's "Rebelicious," maybe he is saving some of his better songs for his own clients. A few of the tracks here are not up to Nieman's lofty standards. "Down in Mexico" tells of Niemann's euphoric feeling of escaping to the beaches of Mexico. Nevertheless, it's portrayal of Mexico is overtly caricature and the song's theme is so tried that it loses its vitality. Despite its ear-grabbing melody "One More Drinking Song" is as deep as the song title suggests. Much better is the "For Everclear" tagged at the tail end of the disc. "For Everclear" is an inspirational tune that chronicles a fun-lovin' bunch of college students who learn in a `night class' that we live all year.

On the whole, "Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury" scores on the side of Niemann's ability to color outside the lines and he does color well. On most of the tracks, Niemann shows creativity and mastery over various genres of music yet he has wisely been able to make this disc enjoyable. Maybe if he were to restrain from writing such a lion's share of the disc, this project might even be better. Nevertheless, regardless of this quibble, the verdict's on Judge Jerrod's side.

It was very interesting listening to his CD as it's really good music, but it can be wacky at times and down right funny. so if you want a good cd that you can also get some laughs from then this is it.

Three words describe this album...fun, fun, fun!! I bought it for one song I loved on the radio and instantly become a Jerrod fan. I will definitely be following his career in the future.

I saw the "What Do You Want" video on CMT and thought it was great. This guy has a great voice and from the video, I thought that he might one of the few that sing in the "old real country" style. I was so wrong, even though he is capable of it. There are a few songs (very few) on this cd that are ok, but most(almost all) are a disappointment and torture to listen to. What's with all the talking and wierd sounds? This guy has a lot of promise if only he could find some good material. A few songs on the cd prove that. If he likes to write his own material, then he should talk to Vince Gill to find out what works,what doesn't and how to distinguish the difference. This cd doesn't work. I hope he isn't condemned by it. Didn't anyone listen to this material before they made it into a cd? He does have talent. A lot more than a lot of the current "so called country music stars" have. I hope the next cd is better, it wouldn't take much.

I like that he writes his own music. In my mind anyone can have people write for them then sing a song, but the true talent is in a singer/songwriter. I don't really enjoy the "skits" between songs but the actual songs make up for it. It would make a nice addition to anyones collection.

I bought the album and it got here 3 days after I ordered it and I love almost every song my favorites are "Lover Lover", "Down In Mexico", "One More Drinkin Song", and "Come Back To Me". I higly recommend this album to people who love country.