Certified Miracle (Slewfoot, 2001)

Who would've thought one of alt.-country's most well-known sidemen had it in him? Duane Jarvis' latest is a charming, gentle rocker that throws a few change-ups into the mix. Filled with twangy hooks, the musician's Tom Petty-like voice, and some tasty back-up vocals from Joy Lynn White, this might just have what it takes to live up to its name.

The title track, the album's first, lulls you in, and then the tone shifts to a Sir Douglas Quintet-like groove in "Forgive the Fool." The next track, "Love Sometimes," could fit in nicely on 1970's FM radio. All this and an accordion-laced, back-porch version of "Still I Long For Your Kiss,' the song Jarvis wrote with Lucinda Williams. This isn't a perfect album - a few of Jarvis' lyrics don't match the perfect phrasing of the music (Forgive the fool/who fell off his stool/He's got his good points/He knows all the joints /Its' better than watching cable.). But the rough-hewn charm and poppy surprises that fill these songs will have you singing the words anyway.