If it's possible to improve on John Hiatt then that would be JEFF FINLIN. The singer/songwriter from Nashville, who so far on the label of Dwight Yoakam-guitarist-and-producer Pete Anderson has only released minor things, shows his true quality now with "Highway Diaries" (Little Dog Rec.LDR-95001-2). 

And drugstore cowboy fears, which are understandable when thinking about what Nashville usually nurtures - Finlin doesn't have a trace of it.   If he becomes sentimental, then it's in a way that even a hardened jailbird would hug him.   And when he rocks, then he easily compares to Hiatt and Mellencamp.   File under: top-class. 

Jörg Gülden
Rolling Stone (Germany)
May 1996

Original German version:

Könnte man John Hiatt steigern, dann hiesse die Steigerung JEFF FINLIN.   Der Singer/songwriter aus Nashville, der bislang auf dem Label des Dwight Yoakam-gitarristen-und-produzenten Pete Anderson nur Belangloses veröffentlichte, zeigt nun mit den “Highway Diaries” (Little Dog Rec LDR-95001-2) seine wahre Klasse. 

Und Drugstore Cowboys-Befürchtungen, die man heute in Zusammenhang mit Nashville durchaus hegen kann, lässt Finlin nicht die Spur aufkommen.   Wenn er sentimental wird, dann so, dass ihn sogar ein hartgesottener Knacki tröstend an seine Brust drücken würde.   Und wenn er rockt, dann verweist er Hiatt und Mellencamp mühelos auf die Plätze.   File under:  ausgeschlafen.

Since the songs deal with topics on a humane, head-on level and mix in casual wit and charm, Finlin finds himself in the same field plowed by John Hiatt and John Prine.   His stark Blues/Folk is an earthly romp as full of emotion and honesty as his lyrics. There's also an endearing Country slant that's only noticed in passing but could prove to be a cross-over selling point for Highway Diaries. 

Finlin is a natural poet, and his Diaries makes for an interesting compilation of thought-provoking ear-poetry.

But Finlin carves his own little folk-rock nook with a healthy shot of blue-collar, bar-band muscle and a razor-sharp, even Axl Rose-ish(!) vocal delivery that snarls as much as it yearns.   His romantic tales range from playful to desperate;  imagery often travels time as well as space.    One character flirts with Napoleon’s love, another glamorises Jesse James’ outlaw existence.

In “Idaho”, Finlin imagines the carnage resulting from pioneers’ attempts to settle in such rugged terrain.   Then, awestruck, he warns “If you think you make a damn/To the grand in the plan/You better take another look at the show/They got in Idaho.”   Some things are bigger than all of us.