Very enjoyable.

That could be my entire review as it pretty much describes the vibe I get from this project. Given the players involved, Jackson could have been a far more musically difficult project then it turned out to be. I get the impression that the band had made a conscious decision to keep the songs here light and catchy. This all adds up to a collection of punky power-pop that simply bleeds skill and quality. This is rock written to be enjoyed, not push boundaries or incite riots, and that's really refreshing.

For the uninitiated Jackson is the side project of Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett. Joining him Face To Face bassist Scott Shiflett and Face To Face / Saves The Day drummer Pete Parada. There's enough songwriting skill in the band to take their songs to a level of maturity far above that of similar groups. However thats combined with an effort here to make high-quality guitar pop as opposed to something more arty and complicated. Lyrically Jackson is introspective and often tackles the classic love & loss theme of so many rock songs. Chris' vocals fit the tone of the songs well, lying somewhere between the Dave Grohl and Rivers Cuomo in their delivery.

There's a lot of heart woven into this and it really shows. It's rock for rock's sake, the kind of thing you'd want blazing from your car stereo on a summer afternoon.