“Can’t Stop Now”
JoBonanno and the Godsons
(Sharkskin)

JoBonanno has been fronting Jersey bands for a few decades now, and this aptly titled album “makes a statement of how we were 25 years ago and still are today,” he writes in the liner notes. Indeed, the album offers 12 tracks of sturdy bar-band rock, ranging from the rowdy theme song “Don’t Ya Close This Bar Down” and the bouncy “Lisa’s Daddy’s Place” to the dark, menacing “Time To Pray,” the bittersweet ballad “One Kiss Led To Another” and the soaring anthem “Give Me a Reason.” Echoes of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Bon Jovi and Southside Johnny’s Asbury Jukes are scattered throughout the album, and garage-rock legend Gary U.S. Bonds offers his stamp of approval, dueting gracefully on “Every Note That I Play.” A horn section borrowed from the Sensational Soul Cruisers adds muscle to three tracks.
— Jay Lustig

The Star-Ledger

Jan. 29th, 2010