For those not in the know, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jim Eannelli has been in every sort of band from hard rock to synth pop; he worked with Rick Derringer on the Colour Radio record, played guitar, performed and recorded with both former BoDean Sam Llanas and the Shivvers, the ’80s power-pop band that finally gained international recognition in recent years.

He is a legendary supporting player in his hometown, Milwaukee, and he steps onto center stage for his first album, the brilliant Just Deserts (released in both digital and physical formats on September 27th, 2024).

Dipping into a trove of original songs written over the years, Eannelli’s Just Deserts encapsulates his experiences in life as well as music. The songs are deeply rooted in his years as a member of diverse bands.

1. 29 Women
2. Where I’ve Been
3. News For You
4. Train From Chicago
5. Waitin’
6. Christine
7. Young Girl
8. I Want To Be Your Man
9. Down My Road
10. Old 97
11. Simple Man
12. Should I Try

This wonderfully vibrant, elegantly sculpted new recording opens on the spirited 29 Women and the dutiful I’ve Been and then we get the languishing News For You, the charged Train From Chicago, and both the low slung ballad Waitin’ and the yearnful Christine.

Along next is the impassioned Young Girl and the vibrantly robust honky tonk of I Want To Be Your Man and they are in turn backed by the foot-tapper Down My Road, the expressive Old 97, rounding out on the embodied, mid-tempo balladry of Simple Man, closing on the rambunctious rocker Should I Try/