Albums Revisited: Jesus Jones’s Doubt

I’ve been into music longer than there have been MP3s, which has left me with hundreds of compact discs gathering dust on a closet shelf. The time has come to clean them out – but which ones are worth keeping and which are best left to the Donation box? Let’s take ‘em one by one:

Doubt
Jesus Jones

Driven by the hit “Right Here, Right Now,” Doubt hit the airwaves with U2’s Achtung Baby, Depeche Mode’s Violator, and Nine Inch Nail’s Pretty Hate Machine, bringing electro-rock to widespread exposure. Jesus Jones hasn’t maintained the level of popularity the others listed above have (although the moderate success of follow up album Perverse at least meant they outlasted contemporaries EMF) and Doubt has mostly faded from view. I dusted off my copy to see if its disappearance is warranted.

Doubt holds up well, mostly due to it staying away from the faddish club sounds of the day and instead concentrating on blending loops and samples into guitar rock. For listeners more accustomed to the aggressive noise of current electro-rock purveyors such as Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Pendulum, Jesus Jones can sound somewhat tame. Even the driving “Trust Me” is a little quaint.

The best reason to revisit Doubt is for the hits. “Right Here, Right Now” is timeless radio fare, although now it’s mostly consigned to commercials and political rallies. “Real, Real, Real” is my pick for the album’s best thanks to the infectious, layered chorus. While “International Bright Young Thing” is still popular, it’s never done much for me – I prefer “Welcome Back, Victoria” with its Tom Petty-esque guitar. Also of note is “Two And Two,” which you could rerecord with a more antagonistic sound and slot it seamlessly into an electro festival DJ set.

There’s a historical value which supplements the hits. Most of the ideas here, fresh at the time, have now been developed further with additional complexities added, leaving Doubt influential but sounding a bit simplistic at times. It’s definitely worth a spin, though I can’t see it garnering much replays. This is more one you pull out from the back corner of the collection, say “Oh man, I remember this!” and give it a play, are glad you took the time to do so, then put it back in the corner for another year.

Worth The Revisit? Yes

Tags: Jesus Jones