Search - Chris Jagger :: Atcha

Poppin' & a Rockin'

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 12/24/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Jagger came back after 20 years of not recording to blow the roof off with "Atcha" which became the name of his band on subsequent releases. "Blow the Zydeco" joyously pumps as Chris shouts, "She got a way with the rhythm." "Allons Joujette" is a New Orleans-style polka piece complete with Tony Weatherall's accordian. "She's an earthbound daughter of a mother nature's son, a yankee doodle married to an Englishman," Jagger sings on the toe-tapper "Green Thumb." Brother Mick joins on background vocals for "Will Ya Won't Ya?" a piano pounder with a talk-sing sly delivery. "Stand Up for the Foot" sounds a bit like "6 Days On the Road," a rocker with Mick again doing vocals on the chorus and a great fiddle part on a song that trashes the metric system. "Whispering Wind" takes us back to the 1920's in a McCartney-like retro mode. "Cupboard Love" is a whimsical soft shoe, "Food & sex are so close to each other, the difference between your lover & mother." "Snow On the Mountain" is a midtempo track with a great fiddle giving a Jackson Browne feel. "Cheatin' On Your Darlin'" stars Chris Jagger as Merle Haggard. "Toad in the Hole" is a traditional hoe down. "If you can swing a cat, you can come out & play; so keep rockin' all night, keep rollin' all day," Jagger bops sounding like Stray Cats on a 50-style rocker with rock violin! (Is there such a thing as rock violin? I guess there is now!) Chris sings like a man with a mission on the swamp pumper "Steal the Time," "Tell you what I wanna do, take you down to the river & make love to you." Another standout is the political track "What Should I Care?" "You're telling me lies & peddling half truths, the fix we're in calls for radical change while you line your pockets for political gain." The CD concludes with the peaceful Dave Stewart arranged "Lhasa Town" about struggles in Tibet. The booklet for this package deserves special mention with great photos and a lyric sheet. "Atcha" is a varied set that works well, the first of Chris' '90s work. As far as I know, it's only an import release from England, but well worth seeking out. His sound is varied & fresh. Obviously, his music and his older brother's are quite different. U snooze, U lose!"

Better than big brother

Adrenalin Streams | UK | 12/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first of the 3 Atcha! albums released by Chris and the boys and sets a very high standard. The songs are a mix of rock, country, cajun, and romantic ballad but are, most of all, identifiably the authentic voive of an English story teller out of the top drawer. Not only does Chris Jagger write great tunes, but he he is a very fine and wry lyricist. The Chris Jagger voice is a more powerful and emotional instrument than that possessed by his brother Mick. Jagger sounds like a man who has had to work hard to survive but who has made the best of things. His band, including Charlie Hart (ex-Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance) are a tight and cohesive unit, and really seem to enjoy what they are doing. Highlights from this album are many, and include the upbeat and cajun joy of opener "Blow The Zydeco", the 30's crooner that is "Whispering Wind", the English whimsy that is "Stand Up For The Foot", the countrified "Green Thumb" (which sounds like it is about Jagger's wife) and Cheatin' On Your Darlin", the emotional "Snow On the Mountain", the rollicking "Will Ya Won't Ya", and the heartfelt and affecting "Lhasa Town". So many styles but all done so well. Quite how Chris Jagger's Atcha! have not had more commerciaal success is beyond me. I have seen them live and they are brilliant, with Jagger a charismatic front man. Don't for one moment think that this band is a younger brother's attempt to ride on his illustrious brother's success. Chris Jagger and his band and the real deal and are, frankly (and I say this as a big Stones fan), far more creative than the latter day Stones. Buy this album and the other two (Channel Fever - 2000, and Act Of Faith - 2006) and for God's sake can some decent record company get proper publicity and distribution for Atcha! This band is a hidden gem that needs to be discovered by a much wider public."