Half old, half new, all quality

Nic Cester has been in music a long time, in many different forms. The Australian singer/guitarist first caught the public eye as the lead singer of the rock band Jet, alongside his brother Chris. In 2003, Jet’s debut single, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” became a worldwide smash thanks to its addictive hook and Cester’s raspy vocals. Jet continued to tour and record successfully before disbanding in 2012. This gave Cester the opportunity to focus on solo material and although it took a while, his debut solo album, Sugar Rush, has finally dropped.

It has been 15 years since “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” but Cester’s vocals have lost none of their trademark rasp. He screeches expressive high notes all over Sugar Rush just as much as he did in the old days. Where the two eras differ, however, is in the overall sound. Cester’s solo work has kept a lot of the brash and ballsy rock roots that comprised Jet’s sound, but he has fused these roots with more modern production and instrumentation, now that he has complete creative control. The guitar is still a prominent instrument, but in most cases, it’s scrapped in favor of drum loops and pianos.

The album’s opener (and title track) is a slow 6/8 blues shuffle, which serves as a great introduction. The catchy sing-along “Eyes On The Horizon” is next and features Afro-style percussion, woodwinds and a backing choir all throughout for a more gospel flair. Other highlights of the album include the slow jam “God Knows,” which features Cester’s screechiest vocal hits yet, the Rolling Stones-style “Neon Light,” complete with a backing horn section, and the dark, sexy disco jam “Who You Think You Are.”

As good as this solo album is, it’s unclear how much more solo work Cester will do in the future. Jet reunited in 2017 with a handful of live shows, including five dates opening for Bruce Springsteen. The band has also booked a 15th-anniversary tour for their debut album, and have released a live DVD. If the reunion doesn’t get much press, Cester has plenty of well-written material to fall back on.