There are nine Nice Jenkins listed on this Virginia band’s MySpace site. Not only are these Jenkins nice, but they are plentiful, too. They are not, however, world famous - not yet at least. This CD is packed with a whopping 25 different tracks, although many are merely brief snippets of sound, e.g. the slow, acoustic blues of “Party 4 (Sad).” This band's style is undecided; it is all over the map, which is what you would expect from nine different musicians thrown together. "Dance 4 My Baby" is soulful with a scratchy vocal. "Happy as Corn," on the other hand, may remind you of The Zutons because of its conspicuous horn part. “Quiet/Tired/Lonely/Crazy” even features a female voice - Caroline Motley’s, perhaps? - distinguishing it from the CD’s otherwise male bonding vibe. Some of this music is silly, some is just strange. For instance, I'm not sure what is meant when they sing, "Your love is like a sweet and filthy cigarette" during "Sweet & Filthy." Maybe it is a naughty metaphor I don't quite get yet. The group also reveals a sad side on "Chances Are," with lines like: "I thought about you/All damn day." The Nice Jenkins are most likely nice by basic necessity. Being nice is the only way this many people can coexist happily together.
~ Dan MacIntosh
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