Jason and the Scorchers, A Blazing Grace

(Mammoth):

RICK SHEFCHIK; THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
February 10, 1995

Copyright 1995 - 2004 Sentinel Communications Co.

Jason and the Scorchers, A Blazing Grace (Mammoth): After a hugely promising debut as the next great country-rock band back in the early ‘80s, Jason Ringenberg and his Nashville Scorchers gradually faded away, albeit not quietly. Each succeeding album focused more on rock, less on country, until the distinction between the Scorchers and the Destroyers and the Satellites and the Blackhearts disappeared - and then so did the Scorchers.
Well, they’re back, and they still rock like crazy, but Jason has rediscovered his country side. It’s not exactly what he does best - his two country ballads (“Somewhere Within” and “Where Bridges Never Burn”) have almost none of the doomed mystery that truly great country ballads must have - but without country as a point of reference, the Scorchers’ rockers would be as pedestrian as any other gonzo bar band’s.
The killer uptempo songs “Cry by Night Operator,” “200 Proof Lovin’” and “One More Day of Weekend” all tip their Stetsons toward Nashville as they roar past on the interstate doing 95 mph. But it’s the album’s two covers that put the Scorchers exactly where they need to be: a lickety-split rave-up on George Jones’ “Why Baby Why” and the positively sensational romp through John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” That’s not just talent - that’s inspired.

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