Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights

Pardon Me (F-Stop/Atlantic)

Does the world need another Kid Rock? Via Dallas, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights seem to think so. After one successful self-released offering and a slew of praise for their energetic live show, the band has debuted on a major label with Pardon Me. From the album’s up-from-the-skies slide guitar kickoff to its overwrought remorse over lost love at disc’s end, Tyler and company take every blues and arena-rock cliché in the book and turn it up to 11. At times the frontman’s vocals recall another Tyler, but at least when Aerosmith pulled out its hard-rock bag of tricks, it was fresh. Especially egregious are power ballads like “She Wears a Smile” and “Paint Me a Picture,” which Tyler tries to put over with lyrics dripping syrup, a bit of a stretch after trying to raise hell elsewhere. Pardon Me, but you’ve likely heard this before, and Southern rock done with finesse probably won’t appeal to fans of American Idol. (Thu., 12mid, Maggie Mae’s; Sat., 9pm, Galaxy Room Backyard.)

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This article appears in March 19 • 2010.

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