Jennifer Lyn & The Groove Revival – Electric Eden
J&R Collective
www.jlynandthegrooverevival.com
9 songs – 35 minutes
Jennifer Lyn & The Groove Revival have been making waves in the blues-rock scene for a number of years now, and with good reason. As one might expect from a band called “The Groove Revival”, they harken back to one of rock’s golden eras from the late 60s and early 70s, with hints of Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Jefferson Airplane and the Rolling Stones all discernible on their new live album, Electric Eden.
Electric Eden is actually the band’s second live album, after 2024’s Live From The Northern Plains, which is no doubt reflective of the fact that this is a band best sampled live. Recorded live at The Belle Mehus Auditorium in Bismarck, ND, the album was engineered by Joseph Tibor, with mixing by Zach Allen and mastering by Joseph Freeman, who collectively have done an excellent job in capturing a stellar performance from the band. Lyn is a powerhouse singer, excelling on both the rockier songs like “Sucker For The Pain” and slower, more soul-influenced tracks like “Lay Your Memory Down”. She also shares the guitar duties with Richard Torrance and guest guitarist, Jaxon Fitterer, on a number of tracks. The dualing guitars of Lyn and Torrance on the Zeppelin-esque “Nothing Holding Me Down” is one of the album highlights. Rounding out the excellent band are Jim Anderson on drums, Barb Jiskra on keyboards and Nolyn Falcon on bass.
Lyn and Torrance are the primary song-writers, contributing seven of the nine tracks on the album, which is completed by covers of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and Memphis Minnie’s “When The Levee Breaks” (interpreted through a Zeppelin-shaped prism). The self-written songs are top drawer, with band burning through “Baggage” with an irresistible drive and some fantastic slide guitar. The interplay between the guitars on “’59 Cadillac” is indicative of the overall tightness of the band, with Anderson and Falcon providing a rock solid foundation to every track. The band also has a nuanced understanding of musical dynamics, in particular in its use of light and shade in each song.
Jennifer Lyn and The Groove Revival are by no means a blues band, but they are a very impressive musical collective and their music is certainly informed by the blues. Electric Eden will definitely appeal to fans of classic blues-rock or the rock of late 1960s and early 1970s.
