The Jukebox Rebel

“Silly silly me writing songs your ears can see, songs they are more said than sung, talking songs for solo tongue. Some are sad and some are not, some could make you laugh a lot, all were written by my pen, call me Nordine comma Ken.” Gotta love Ken, he even reviews his own albums on the back sleeve. The busy cast on this one pay no heed to scenes nor fashion and deliver an all-sorts potpourri of variety music, funk, country and electronica, keeping it light all the while, allowing our hero to shine. Compared to previous works I don't always love it, but I love him and it's wonderful to know that he was finally nominated for a Grammy award for this one, in the category Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording. He goes into more depth on the back sleeve, crediting his fellow creators:

“Seems only a dream or so ago (who knows when anything begins?) that whatever it is that’s inside this was just a vague something somewhere deep asleep in my slowpoke lazybones head. Now here it is! Finished at last! STARE WITH YOUR EARS. All wide awake and out! As you listen if you do, you’ll be watching not only my ambivalent vibrations but also the very special oscillations of a small crowd of very special people without whose help I wouldn’t be able to put this hi how are you together. Like to thank the different ones who helped; here they are in alphabetical disorder: starting with PAT FERRERI (thanks for your right-with-the-words arrangements and virtuoso guitar and avatar); MANFRED FEST (thanks for your extraordinary sensitivity on the keyboards); KRISTAN VAUGHAN NORDINE (my middle son who write three of the musics and played guitar); THOMAS KINI & DOUG MAZIQUE (bass); DON SIMMONS & TOM RADTKE (drums and percussion); PETER POVEDA (percussion); BONNIE HERMAN & BOB BOWKER (vocal choruses); also KITTY HAYWOOD (vocals); ED REHM (dedicated recording and mixing engineer); DISKWERKS (mastering); JIM DOWLEN (front cover art); RON CROCI (inside and back cover art); CHRIS BLUM (for being his helpful artistic self); MARCIA BERNSTEN (graphic design layout); my son KEN JR. (for keeping after me to get the album out) and a very special thanks with love to BERYL (my wife) for her patience and sweet understanding and of course, one of the biggest thanks to YOU (whoever you are) now reading this. My hope is that you’ll like what’s what inside… and tell your friend. Thanks again, just me, Ken Nordine.”

The Jukebox Rebel
05–Sep–2016

A1	[01:33] Ken Nordine - Island (Ken Nordine, Manfredo Fest, Pat Ferreri) Songwriter
A2	[04:08] Ken Nordine - Angel’s Lament (Ken Nordine, Pat Ferreri) Crooner / Cabaret
A3	[02:58] Ken Nordine - Alphabet (Ken Nordine, Kristan Nordine) Dubbeat
A4	[04:33] Ken Nordine - Cracks In The Ceiling (Ken Nordine, Pat Ferreri) Poetry
A5	[02:13] Ken Nordine - Mister Blister (Ken Nordine, Kristan Nordine) Alternative Country
A6	[02:47] Ken Nordine - Fadeaway Stranger (Ken Nordine, Kristan Nordine) Alternative Country
A7	[02:22] Ken Nordine - Once Upon A You Know What (Ken Nordine, Pat Ferreri) Avant-Garde
B1	[02:42] Ken Nordine - Don’t You Wish (Ken Nordine, Manfredo Fest, Pat Ferreri) Crooner / Cabaret
B2	[05:20] Ken Nordine - Seven Ways Of The Meek (Ken Nordine, Pat Ferreri) Poetry
B3	[04:02] Ken Nordine - Ballad Of The Final Page (Ken Nordine, Pat Ferreri) Crooner / Cabaret
B4	[07:18] Ken Nordine - Inchoate Blues (Ken Nordine, Manfredo Fest, Pat Ferreri) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B5	[00:33] Ken Nordine - Smelts (Ken Nordine) Avant-Garde
B6	[02:46] Ken Nordine - Scratch (Ken Nordine) Poetry

ratings by TJR