Something Else! sneak peek: Jeff Crosby and the Refugees, “Love, Hate Relationship” (2014)

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Looking like a young Gregg Allman and sounding just a bit like him, too, Donnelly, Idaho’s Jeff Crosby marks Independence Day, 2014 by releasing his second long player with The Refugees, All Nighter.

On All Nighter, Crosby continues to carry the torch for straight-up, no-nonsense rock, with a worldview and wisdom far beyond his years and rural upbringing with the clarity of mind that comes from growing up in gorgeous, uncluttered surroundings.

Still, a move to LA since the 2011 self-titled debut can be disruptive to even the well-adjusted and it might have been the case for Crosby, too. Luckily his gift for chronicling life changes in song went unscathed.

“Love, Hate Relationship” is the advance single from All Nighter, an autobiographical longing for the less stressful environment of home. Full of memorable, unforced metaphors like “‘cos I’ve been runnin’ like a ’68 Chevy, breaking up slow like a Louisiana levee” and “I’m like a dog on a front porch ’till she calls my name,” there’s just a twinge of twang in this jangly rocker to suggest all the right inspirations like the Byrds, Stephen Stills’ Manassas and Tom Petty…without aping them.

“Love, Hate Relationship” and the rest of All Nighter brings us back to when we first got smitten with rock music so long ago. Thank goodness Jeff Crosby & The Refugees are there to remind us.

Visit Jeff Crosby’s website for more info.

S. Victor Aaron