- Saint Jude seem as though they have jumped out of nowhere, fully formed. Not an unreasonable assessment, because before the recording process for their self-titled debut, they essentially didn't exist. Brooke Penrose and Bill Deeble who provide some vocals and a rhythm section for the comparatively better known Little John, recorded an EP back in 2009, just the two of them. The band, now a quintet, was only formed to be able to achieve the songs you'll hear here. It's a remarkable collection, too. To return to Little John: they could muster up a respectable range of old-timey bluesy folk and country. Saint Jude are a chip off the same block, but if anything they're more exciting in their musical range. Start from the beginning of the record and you'll be convinced you're listening to rootsy country-rock-pop, the sort of stuff The Band were so good at. Saint Jude aren't short on charm, either. Not that it's all easy-going stuff. The sparse, country sadness of tunes like Bury me Down, Cried Alone or Black Monkey almost sounds like a different band, but are not in any way less effective. Gospel makes its way into their sound too, most memorably on Go Tell The People. There's even a swinging garage-pop number in Out Of This Land. I was so far from expecting garage that it took me a moment to even realise that it was. Right now, there's few bands at all which so succesfully channel this kind of oeurvre and it's such a pleasure to hear a bunch of Aussies just coming out of nowhere and getting it really right.

- Chris Cobcroft.