Gentleman Jesse & His Men Friday, Nov. 9th $5
Gentleman Jesse & His Men have a tight grasp on what makes rock & roll good. They have the three things you need most of all to make it work: energy, attitude, and songs that make you want to sing along at top volume. Their debut, Introducing Gentlemen Jesse & His Men, was a perfectly crafted modern rock & roll album that sounded like a rollicking, good-time party classic; the follow-up, Leaving Atlanta, is more of the same, but even better — more 
direct and more accomplished-sounding, but also tougher and full of fire. The sound jumps off the grooves, tight and wired with the right blend of growl and jangle. The uptempo songs have a bite to them; the midtempo lovelorn tunes are thoroughly tear-soaked and soulful.
There’s no question where Gentleman Jesse & His Men stand among the contemporary rock & roll revivalists; Leaving Atlanta puts them at the very head of the line. More importantly for those who don’t care about rankings or influences or history, it’s just a flat-out good-time rock & roll record and that’s all that really matters.