Jet Black Stare, 'In This Life'

Rating 2.5 (of 4)Fast and furious, Jet Black Stare opens its power pop debut with a simple song about life in the fast lane. But this Vancouver quintet, with an eye toward being the next Nickelback or Doughtry, turns to storytelling and spices up otherwise consistently throbbing beat and coiling guitars. Jet Black Stare works hard for your appreciation though this is a band proud that it can write a straightforward rock song in 15 minutes. Sick of daily work, the band heads to “The River” for a timeout. And we hope that lead singer Rod Black is taking a live woman home, not a pin-up, in “Poster Princess.” But what sounds elementary gains depth. Black, who really did survive a near-death car crash, looks for reasons to live and finds it in “I’m Breathing.” Lost chances for teen love, now told after years of misery, are explored in “Every Moment.’ With commitment and passion, Jet Black Stare hits on sincere topics, simply executed.

— Reviewed by Scott Miley