1. Make it Through (J. Jensen)
2. Get Along (J. Jensen/V. Wainwright)
3. Fall Apart (J. Jensen)
4. Going Home (traditional)
5. Paper Walls (J. Jensen)
6. What's the Matter with the Mill (Minnie/Mccoy)
7. Ash and Bone (J. Jensen)
8. Elephant Blue (Jensen/Ruffino/Bridgeforth)
9. Bad Bad Whiskey (A. Milburn)
10. I'll Always Be in Love with You (Ruby/Green/ Stept)
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11. Empty Bottles (J. Jensen)

Jeff Jensen - guitar, vocals
Bill Ruffino - bass
Robinson Bridgeforth - drums

Big-band swinging grooves paralleled with southern guitar riffs make a long lasting first impression with the introduction of “Make It Through,” the first track on Jeff Jensen’s new album, Morose Elephant. The beachy keyboards are paired nicely with his light and airy vocals, which are then combined with the Delta-style guitar riffs, creating a new wave of soulful, bouncy rock n roll that is completely unique to Jensen. It is this Jensen-native style of arranging music that has set Morose Elephant apart from the strict structure of what is to be expected of modern day blues rock artists.

After coming off a feel-good high from “Make It Through,” the album leads into a power-chord packed anthemic jam, “Get Along.” The lyrics scream for undivided attention, speaking to the differences in opinions that occur between human beings and the negative attitudes that arise with lines like, “guess you could say, this is my protest song” and “this is a big ol’ world, we ain’t all gonna get along.” While that statement is true, it seems a bit surprising to hear that in songs of the year 2015, where most of the media and entertainment industry have focused on many issues of political, human, and individual equality. “I’m not always right, I’m sure not always wrong” Jensen sings in “Get Along,” but it brings up an essential question; is Jensen using not getting along as an easy excuse and/or justification to be passive on humans’ differences in opinions and ideas?

The album takes a bit of a left turn into a rock-style R&B-groovy ballad, “Fall Apart,” which then leads into a few other up-beat instrument jamming songs including “Going Home,” “Paper Walls,” and “What’s The Matter With The Mill,” all of which include influences from classic 1950s rock and roll styled rhythms and arrangements. While the album doesn’t have a clear climactic moment, it closes out nicely incorporating all of the previous styles heard on the first six tracks. While Morose Elephant isn’t a clear cut, structured “roller coaster” of a ride album according to track listing, it is rather a cool blend of all the things Jensen is great at; authentic musicianship, incorporating classic music styles and influences, and writing attention-grabbing lyrics. The fact that each track’s style could be anthemic, could be a ballad, could be an up-beat groove is what makes it an intensely exciting listening experience.--- Jackie Howell, bluesrockreview.com

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1. Brunette Woman (Feat Brandon Santini)
2. Good Bye Portland (Feat Victor Wainwright)
3. Heart Attack & Vine
4. Pepper
5. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
6. Little Red Rooster
7. Crosseyed Cat (Feat Brandon Santini)
8. Raggedt Ann (Feat Victor Wainwright)
9. River Runs Dry
10. Thankful

Jeff Jensen – Vocals, Guitar
Bill Ruffino – Bass
James Cunningham – Drums
Chris Stephenson – Organ
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Victor Wainwright – Piano
Brandon Santini – Harmonica

Blues guitarist and songwriter Jeff Jensen closes Road Worn and Ragged with "Thankful," a funky/soulful ode to a musical life well-lived; it's a sentiment not often associated with the angsty 3-chord art form that is the blues. But we should all be so thankful for what the blues has given American music, despite its roots in some dark chapters of our country's past. Jeff seems to get that, delivering an album that manages to be heartfelt without being overwrought, respectful of the form without being self-consciously reverential.

Road Worn and Ragged is a solid 10-song set of rootsy modern blues. Originals like "Good Bye Portland" and "Raggedy Ann" (co-penned with Billy Wirtz and Victor Wainwright, respectively) merge classic blues tropes with more contemporary sensibilities. The former tune is a tongue-in-check goodbye to the Port City, lamenting the ubiquitous presence of coffee and clouds; Jensen knows his blues are a little lighter weight than those of his musical forebears, and he's refreshingly honest in that regard. Jeff takes a risk in covering Tom Waits, one of the few genuine latter-day blues poets. It's a risk that pays off though, with his slurred, punchy vocal delivery providing a convincing vehicle for the darkly humorous portrait of urban decay that is "Heart Attack and Vine."

A spirited cover of Willie Dixon's "Red Rooster" includes some meaty guitar and a throaty harmonica solo from Jeff's former bandleader Brandon Santini. Jensen benefits from first-rate musical support throughout Road Worn and Ragged, including the bass and drums of regular band members Bill Ruffino and James Cunningham. This is definitely an outfit I want to catch live, if their spirited studio performance is any reflection of stage presence. Blues fans seeking a laid-back but energetic electric blues set should check out this latest effort from Jeff Jensen; it's certainly one of the blues highlights of 2013. --- nodepression.com

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