Stuttering John - Stuttering John (1994)

Review by Rob Theakston

The mere fact that Stuttering John is an anchor to Howard Stern's morning radio program ensures that he already has a built-in audience for his eponymously titled release. But what's surprising about this release is that it's actually quite good. John's vocals sound like a finely balanced hybrid between Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner and Suicidal Tendencies' Mike Muir, and at other points Lemmy from Motörhead. And while the topics du jour are clichéd and run of the mill for a rock band, it genuinely sounds like the Stuttering One is having the time of his life throughout the course of this whole record -- something too lacking sometimes in the world of serious rock & roll. His humor ever present, John works his way through a dozen rockers to create a solid, simple, yet effectively potent rock & roll record. And while he shouldn't quit his day job as Stern's whipping boy just yet (and quite honestly, why should he?), there's talent here that shows definite promise.