This is the solo debut of
George Kooymans, a performer best known for his work as a guitarist and songwriter for Dutch
rock legends
Golden Earring. Surprisingly, the material on
Jojo is totally lacking in the
hard rock bombast and
prog-rock tendencies that characterized
Golden Earring's work around this time. Instead, it goes for a low-key but occasionally punchy
rock sound that is somewhat reminiscent of
Neil Young's early 1970s work. The focus of the songs is craftsmanship, with the band's efforts (plus occasional touches of orchestration) working towards placing the tuneful melody of each song in the spotlight. Good examples of this technique include
"South Side Lady," which enhances its languid melody by slowly raising the tempo and layering in soulful background vocals, and
"For Gail," whose dynamic arrangement pits drum-driven verses against a more relaxed chorus to highlight the song's catchy hooks. The problem with
Jojo is that, while all its songs are well-crafted, none of them are of the insidiously catchy variety that would make the album appeal to anyone beyond
Golden Earring fans. Also, the album tends toward a similar sound on most of its tracks instead of experimenting with the kinds of varied styles and sounds that might have won over non-fans. The end result is an album that has limited appeal beyond the
Golden Earring fanbase, but remains a solid and tuneful batch of songs guaranteed to appeal to those fans. ~ Donald A. Guarisco
