S/T

After 20 years, numerous personnel changes and one final mediocre album, the Jayhawks have finally packed it in, leaving the bandmembers with the unenviable task of trying to avoid a real job. As a result, we can expect the occasional unremarkable solo releases to slowly trickle out of Minneapolis; such is the case with Tim O’Reagan’s eponymous album. In a move reminiscent of the Foo Fighters’ debut, Tim O’Reagan laid down most of the tracks himself, but there is the occasional assist from former members of the Jayhawks and Son Volt. O’Reagan, who joined the Jayhawks as a drummer in 1995, just doesn’t have the voice or songwriting chops to be a frontman; although the solo debut isn’t actively bad, it’s definitely not good. It simply washes over the listener like Muzak, leaving little impression at all. To a large extent, this is due to the production, where the vocals are buried and the music muted. Perhaps O’Reagan took the title of the final Jayhawks’ album, Rainy Day Music, too much to heart.