Train - Drops Of Jupiter

In 1999, Train came out of nowhere with the single "Meet Virginia" and soon after found themselves the proverbial overnight success. The San Francisco band with a penchant for the Southern jam could very easily be one of those acts that fade from memory after a lone hit. But the follow-up Drops of Jupiter makes that misfortune highly unlikely. The band employs tools of the roots-rock trade--mandolin, harmonica, bongos, and crisp acoustic guitar--to evoke that sort of "everything's gonna be all right" sentiment common in so many great pop rock songs. But this isn't a band that relies solely on its precursors for inspiration. These accomplished musicians never overplay, and understand the value of a well-placed synthesized accent or guitar effect. On tracks like "I Wish You Would," they command a plugged-in assertion that lends an inspiring jolt to their acoustic instrumentation. The title track is the album's epicenter. With swelling strings and chorded piano melody, the song sounds as if it were lifted from some lost tapes of Elton John's Madman Across the Water. It sweeps you up in an irresistible top-of-the-lungs sing-along and becomes the reference point for the rest of the album. Radio-friendly rock bands these days tend to be virtually indistinguishable from one another, but Train breaks from the crowd, charging full steam ahead. --Beth Massa