John “Jojo” Hermann   Pat Anderson

John “Jojo” Hermann - Just Ain’t Right
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If I were to tell you that John “Jojo” Hermann is the keyboardist for Widespread Panic, you’d probably form some opinions of what this album sounds like.  Truth is, you’d probably be wrong.  Just Ain’t Right is a lot more like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or The Band than Widespread Panic.  This is rootsy rock with some good boogie-woogie piano sound and big organ sounds.  There are a few flashes of the Widespread Panic influence on the funky/psychedelic “Assassination” and at the end of “The Invisible Woman”, so if you are a fan of Widespread Panic, you’ll get some of what you’re looking for.  There really isn’t a bad song on this disc.  Having time off from touring with Widespread Panic was seemingly a good thing for John Hermann.  He’s got a good thing going on his own.

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Pat Anderson - Wide Open Lonely
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If I were to tell you that Pat Anderson is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, what conclusion would you reach?  Well, let me put the brakes on that conclusion because Pat Anderson is not your standard Nashville fare.  There is a bit of twang, especially in “Drives Me Crazy.”  However, Anderson’s music is more in the tradition of Midwestern songwriters like John Hiatt and John Mellencamp than anything that comes out of Nashville.  His voice is not nearly as raspy as Hiatt or Mellencamp, but his songs are born of that same down-to-earth Midwestern ethic you’ll find in songs by those artists.

This is a six song EP whose songs are about driving ("Wide Open Lonely”, “Shotgun Side”), loving (“Drives me Crazy”), and losing (“Heart Gone Blue”), all things that people can easily relate to.  What I like best about this album is Pat Anderson’s voice.  I don’t know how to describe it other than even.  He has a smooth, even voice that I could listen to for long periods of time without getting tired of it.  To put it another way, if Anderson was playing at my local tavern, I’d probably want him to play until closing time.  This EP is a good introduction to Anderson’s music and I am looking forward to more from him.  

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