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Album Details

• Artist: Justin Rutledge and the Junction Forty
• Album: No Never Again
• Label: Six Shooter
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-03-01

Justin Rutledge is a singer songwriter in the vein of Ryan Adams that comes our way of Toronto. It really is a nice surprise to hear a songwriter this strong come up out of the woodwork. No Never Again is one of those albums that could easily fit into one of your alltime favorites. Sure, he's got the sound of Adams but the charm of this album is more along the lines of a Ron Sexsmith. The songs are beautifully crafted and not over thought. And Justin's vocals sound so streetsmart even though he's only 26 years of age. After as little as two listens the charm of Rutledge seeps to the surface and you fall in love with the music. The album starts out with "Too Sober To Sleep", a great song that sets the slower pace. It's got a bit of a Whiskeytown feel to it but Justin's voice really stands up to the comparison. Krista Ellis lends her voice to the third track, "1855", playing Emmylou Harris to Justin's Gram Parsons. The most upbeat track on No Never Again has to be "The Suffering of Pepe O'Malley" and while it really isn't rocking, it does have a decent swagger to it. There is heartache all over this album and you can hear Rutledge's desperation and passion. Junction Forty seems to be a bit of a revolving band but the musicianship on this album is superb.

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