Joe Jackson's 2003 album,
Volume 4, found the songwriter reunited with his original backing band for the first time since 1980, and it was his best and best-received effort in years, with
Jackson stepping away from the grander conceits of his work as a "serious" composer and turning back to the pithy but literate pop tunes that had long been his forte.
Jackson promised that the reunion with his original band would be a one-off, and technically he's kept his word on
Rain -- this album was cut as a trio, with
Jackson backed by bassist
Graham Maby and drummer
Dave Houghton from the original
Joe Jackson Band, but without the presence of guitarist
Gary Sanford. Minus
Sanford,
Rain is a bit smoother and more refined than
Volume 4, and it's a far cry from the scrappy new wave-inspired rock of
Look Sharp! and
I'm the Man, but it does show that
Jackson learned something from his experience with
Volume 4 -- he's better with clever pop songs than trying to write orchestral pieces, and
Rain balances sophistication and edgy smarts with a winning mixture of grace and confidence.
Jackson's melodies recall the polish and imagination of his work on
Night and Day, and his piano work is exceptional here, but the compact arrangements keep the music from getting too florid for its own good, while
Maby and
Houghton add just the right amount of color and keep the songs moving at a brisk but comfortable pace.
Jackson also supplies much of his usual tart wit as a lyricist, pondering his own retreat from A-list stardom in "Invisible Man," taking on photogenic "non-conformists" with "Good Bad Boy," and examining the ups and downs of hedonism in "King Pleasure Time," but
Jackson also allows his romantic side to surface here, and "Wasted Time," "Rush Across the Road," and "Too Tough" contemplate love and relationships with a perspective that's mature and honestly heartfelt at the same time. There's less of an air of willful nostalgia about
Rain than
Volume 4 and the live set
Afterlife, but it's still a potent reminder of
Joe Jackson's lasting strengths as songwriter and bandleader, proving he hasn't run short on ideas nearly 30 years after releasing his debut. ~ Mark Deming