Greenlight Caravan
Mother Earth Revival
Atomic Groove Tunes, BMI
By Rob Fontenot, Jr.

Though they seem to claim every rock-funk group in history as influences, this jam band from Lafayette actually come down philosophically and musically squarely between the snide earth-mama misogyny of the Black Crowes and the sexy-yet-socially-aware street lamentations of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, both circa Bill Clinton’s first administration. The world is in peril, this album seems to say, but it’s oh so funky.

Nothing new here, then. But sincerity, like personality, goes a long way, and in this crumbling century, so does hard work. Greenlight Caravan, like all good jam bands, gets most of its point across in the groove, and the clockwork combo of Eric McClanahan (bass) and Mark Anthony Guilbeau (drums) is a breath of fresh air in a genre where sloppiness has become an unfortunate badge of authenticity. Other good news: John David Fontenot’s psych-drenched guitar leads are rich with history (the best cut here, “Paracletos’ Umbrella,” sounds like Ernie Isley attacking “American Woman”).

The worst thing about Mother Earth Revival, then, is its embryonic state. God knows, there are worse things to aspire to than a hybrid of Southern Harmony and Musical Companion and Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but too often leader and vocalist Mark Clark simply chooses between the former (“Lay Down Low”) or the latter (“Evolver”). If they ever do find or synthesize an identity, this quintet has the raw talent to make it work.