Track Listing

1. Don't Let Them Take You Down (Beautiful Day)
2. In The Modern World
3. Tomorrow Night
4. Broken Radio
5. Prisoners Of Paradise
6. Black Haired Girl
7. Lucinda
8. Love Streams
9. Little Star
10. Bastards Of Young
11. Happy Ever After (Since You're In Love 2007)
12. NY Nights
13. Aftermath

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53322 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
A raw, modern record of thirteen stellar songs that feels like a celebration of life. Jesse writes about struggles and smiles; about finding ways to "keep on keeping on" with the lyrically intimate slice of life and detail he's known for, while covering a larger palate to connect with people in every part of the world. He conveys happiness and sadness in the same note, using both electric guitars and acoustics, modern keyboards and acoustic piano, power driven drums and happy jangly percussions with driving bass lines and big voice choruses, thus defining the ebb and flow of "Glitter In The Gutter". An energetic, infused, moving record with defiant and exuberant spirit.

Amazon.com
Glitter in the Gutter, the third solo album from Jesse Malin, finds the artist settling in to a comfortable groove, further cultivating the power-pop-with-a-touch-of-twang bittersweetness that was a staple of his solo debut The Fine Art of Self-Destruction. Straddling the line between country balladry and guitar rock, Malin gets support from guests Ryan Adams, Jakob Dylan, and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme. There's plenty to like in uptempo rockers like "Prisoners of Paradise," and whether or not "Lucinda" was written for alt-country star Lucinda Williams, it wouldn't sound out of place on one of Williams' early records. "Broken Radio" stands out as a Springsteen-like paean to lost youth and rock and roll (the Boss even contributes a duet vocal), and a mournful, piano bar reading of the Replacements' "Bastards of Young" shines a light on the broken-heartedness hiding under the pissed-off teenage posture of the original. Ultimately, there's nothing especially cutting-edge about Malin's ruminations on wrecked romances and world-weary voice, but he has delivered a consistently tuneful and satisfying album. --Ben Heege

ROLLING STONE
MALIN'S GOTHAMIZED HIGH-MOUNTAIN WHINE MAKES YOU CARE ABOUT THESE STORIES.

Customer Reviews

Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Jesse Malin ...
Third albums have been keys to success for the first two artists mentioned in my title. "Glitter in the Gutter" is so strong, it could do the same for Jesse.

Every one of the 14 songs are completely different, fresh, and totally captivating. He picks you up, slaps you in the face, and puts you back down -- this meaning "listen closely" with the 1-2 punch of "Don't Let Them Take You Down" and "In The Modern World". Also, Jesse clearly didn't settle for status quo on this disc, as so many artists do. Cases in point - "Tomorrow, Tonight" and "Love Streams" are fantastic songs, and so very different from a lot of the other stuff Jesse has recorded and are illustrations of how Jesse is willing to take risks and do something different. "Black Haired Girl" is mentally exciting (just imagine being the guy in the song)and "Prisoners of Paradise" is the song for all you "slaves to the beat".

The entire album is just brilliant. Jesse and the band hit the ball out-of-the-park on this disc! Listening to this record and also being a life-long Springsteen fan, I can't help but draw an interesting parallel ... 32 years ago, when Bruce released Born to Run, his 3rd record, it changed everything. While most of us know how great the Boss' first two records were, it was the 3rd one that opened up a new chapter and changed his career in big ways. I can't help but think in the same way when I listen to "Glitter in the Gutter".

Clearly, "The Fine Art of Self Destruction" and "The Heat" are awesome records and stand on their own merit as great works of art. But when listening to this disc, something tells me that the days of seeing Jesse in small clubs might be numbered (note to those who have always wanted to see him live: DO IT NOW!). This disc has all the potential to springboard him to an entirely different level of public attention. The last line of Thunder Road keeps ringing in my ears..."It's a town full of losers, and I'm pulling out of here to win...."

Congratulations, Gender Bender! Count me in, like Dee Dee Ramone. Listening to this disc is like a "7-Day Weekend" ... keep up the fine art.

Not his best, but.... still quite good
I can't conciously give this album a five star review, simply because of Malin's two previous solo albums. This album has some definite highlights, but also has some tracks that leave me scratching my head. The high points of this album are "Don't Let Them Take You Down," which is in the classic Malin vein and would fit in on either of his first two albums, "Aftermath," which works well with Malin's 'gutter rat' persona, and has a nice melody and solid lyrics. The best track is easily "Broken Radio," his duet with Springsteen. It's an enchanting song by itself, and Springsteen adds his beautifully, weathered voice to fit perfectly in with Malin's high pitched vocals. Hell, it's worth just to hear Springsteen sing the line "We never had a lot of cash, but we loved those kids" (a classic Springteenian line if there ever was one!). There are so other good tracks such as "Lucinda," and "Black Haired Girl" (with Jakob Dylan). The thing that sets this album back a little bit is that his first two albums were so good, that it kind of pales in comparison. Heat was a great album, and The Fine Art of Self-Destruction was a freaking masterpiece. Glitter in the Gutter has some tracks that are on par with those two, but has too many weak spots. To a casual fan, what was the point of "Since You're in Love 2007" or whatever the song is called now. The version on Heat was superior, although it wasn't even the best song on that album ("Scars of Love," in my opinion, takes that award). The lyrics on some of his up tempo numbers here are a little bit weaker than before, as if he was trying a little to hard to for commercial aspirations, and their arrangements leave me a little cold. The Replacements cover also kind of leaves you scratching your head, although Malin's performance is not bad, itself. It just makes you wonder the point of that one, other than for cred. My last knock on it is the production. Ryan Adams produced his first album, while Malin himself produced Heat, and those albums had a sweeping sound that seems to be left behind in favor of a leaner, more commercial sound. I have no problem with commercial aspirations, but the production on this one took it a little to far, therefore robbing it of some of its raw energy that was so evident on his earlier albums.

Overall, while this album doesn't reach the peaks of his earlier works. This is good, solid work from a performer that has all the talent in the world. This guy has so much talent that you expect everything to be earth shattering, and when it's not, it can be a little bit of a letdown. Born to Run's and Darkness on the Edge of Town's only come around once in a generation, but I was hoping Malin had one in him, and maybe he still does. But to those unfamiliar with what came before, you should be more than satisfied with this rocking album.

A Poet's Heart
Jesse Malin's "Glitter in the Gutter" is his 3rd solo disc after 3 CDs with D Generation. This is his best disc yet, which is saying A LOT considering that "The Fine Art of Self Destruction" was a classic. It is consistently good from beginning to end. Malin's opener "Don't Let Them Take You Down" has a somber lyric, "A new generation & the whole world's shakin'; We were born in flames." He then fills the track with driving guitars and aching vocals. "In the Modern World" has the catchy chorus and Ryan Adams' guitar pumping, "By the radio with the afterglow; Mama told you now or never." Malin sang "Hungry Heart" on the Bruce Springsteen tribute set "Light of Day." The Boss returns the favor with a guest vocal on a slower song, "Broken Radio," with an arrangement that builds anthem-like, "The angels love you more than you know... I was thinking about the universe." He follows with a rock blaster, "Prisoners of Paradise," "In this vampire nation, it begins like it ends; She looked good on paper, at least I've got my friends." "Black Haired Girl" nods to the past & sounds like Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" with Malin's vocals doing a Van deja vu including references to "Mountain High, River Deep" (a twist on Tina) & "American Pie." Malin's relationship with Lucinda Williams is pushed into the spotlight with "Lucinda." She has returned the favor on her excellent new "West" CD. Malin covers a track from the Replacements' 1985 "Tim" in a stripped acoustic version. He follows it with an update of "Since You're in Love." "New York Nights" has a "Hungry Heart" feel in the chorus, "From the desert to this love stained town, I still find comfort in the underground." Ryan Adams does background vocals on the closer "Aftermath" with the pointed lyric, "She never got famous; She was the star of my life 'til we drifted like runoff or two ships in the night." Professional reviewer Thom Jurek described Malin as a "street rocker with a poet's heart," which is an apt description. "Glitter in the Gutter" brings all of Malin's strengths to the table: the vocals that are part vulnerability and part swagger, the strong guitar attack punctuated by acoustic moments. This is his best disc yet. Bravo!