★★★★★
Sticking to the rock'n'soul bar-band heyday of 1976-80, this 14-track primer is a reminder of an era when the Asbury Jukes functioned as Brice Springsteen's surrogate alter egos and conscience. J Lyon's partnership with 'Miami' Steve Van Zandt and The Boss meant that the AJ's could fling their revue credentials at an audience without having to bounce as many conflicting balls as was Bruce's task...
- recordcollectormag.com
2013-07-18
★★★★★
Two years since the last album from Springsteen's boyhood chum but worth the wait ? this is a cracker! From the belting horns and piano of 'Harder Than It Looks' you can tell that Southside Johnny has all his enthusiasm back and this time around he has written all the songs in collaboration with Keyboard player Jeff Kazee...
- www.music-news.com
2010-11-02
★★★★★
Except for some better than average original songs, this is white r&b at its most pleasant, tasteful, and respectable--quite enjoyable, quite unextraordinary, and thank you honored guests.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Fromthe first horn bleat on Better Days, it's clear that Southside Johnnyis rehashing his late-'70s glory days, pumping out more of thatmuscular, R&B-laced; rock & roll. Listen with an open mind, enjoyingthe record's buoyant charm without fooling yourself into believingit's as terrific as, say, Johnny's 1978 Hearts of Stone...
- ew.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
Products of the same New Jersey shore scene that gave the world Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were one of the first beneficiaries of the coattail effect from his mid-seventies commercial breakthrough on Born to Run. Never achieving the same chart heights, The Jukes nonetheless have survived if not thrived over the years as the epitome of true bar bands everywhere.
This particular CD is a recording of a 1978 show in one of their Northeastern strongholds, Boston...
- www.popmatters.com
2009-03-21
★★★★★
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes have been considered the second best bar band to come out of southern New Jersey ever since Bruce Springsteen blew in off the boardwalk. Johnny's trademark rough and gruff vocals always made him sound like a sincere soul man who has suffered for his art, even when he sings a happy song. And the blaring horn and pounding percussion sections of the Jukes turned every tune into a life and death match for the heart of the listener...
- www.popmatters.com
2008-11-11
★★★★★
Products of the same New Jersey shore scene that gave the world Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were one of the first beneficiaries of the coattail effect from his mid-seventies commercial breakthrough on Born to Run. Never achieving the same chart heights, The Jukes nonetheless have survived if not thrived over the years as the epitome of true bar bands everywhere.
This particular CD is a recording of a 1978 show in one of their Northeastern strongholds, Boston...
- www.popmatters.com
2008-08-03
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