Jimmy Davis & Junction: Going the Distance (MelodicRock)

Despite scoring a Top 40 hit in 1987 with “Kick the Wall,” Memphis-based melodic rockers Jimmy Davis & Junction never really broke through in a big way. They had a follow-up to Kick the Wall recorded and ready to go, but label mismanagement and then the changing musical climate resulted in the album being shelved…until now.

The MelodicRock label, working directly with Jimmy Davis, has given fans the long-awaited second Jimmy Davis & Junction album. Titled Going the Distance, this album has a lot of the same style and heart that Kick the Wall had, but there’s a more rocking punch to the songs that pairs really well with the almost country-rock and soul elements (thanks in part to Jackson Browne guitarist Kevin Dukes and The Memphis Horns). Radio-friendly melodic rock is still the main focus, and man do they do it well.

Going the Distance is the lost Jimmy Davis album, but it also sounds like it could have been a lost Bryan Adams/Richie Sambora collaboration. That combination of catchy melodies, soulful guitar tones and “storyteller” vocals just works so well here. Especially so on songs like “Out of Control,” “Better Believe It” and “Can’t Run Away,” but the whole album is rock-solid. It’s one of those albums that has a lot of crossover appeal. Fans of the early ’90s AOR of Alias and RTZ will find something to love, as will fans of heartland rockers like Shooting Star and John Mellencamp. Fans of Bryan Adams, Jimmy Harnen and Richie Sambora’s solo albums will love Going the Distance the most though.

Reissue Notes: The original recordings for Going the Distance have been newly remastered, and is as impressive as the sound quality on MelodicRock’s Jimmy Davis & Junction: Kick the Wall reissue. It also features previously unseen cover artwork. The main thing is that this melodoc rock gem is finally seeing the light of day.