Adventures of Valentine Vox the Ventriloquist

Personnel: Chris Jagger (vocals, guitar, percussion); Andy Bown (vocals); Dave Pierce, Bob Cohen, Jim Ryan , Neil Hubbard, Peter Frampton (guitar); Dave Edmunds (slide guitar); Steve Darrington (accordion); John Rousseau (clarinet, piano); Chris Stainton, John Mealing (piano); Pick Withers, Terry Stannard, Mickey Waller (drums).
Valentine Vox mines much of the same territory that Chris Jagger's debut LP did. A mix of uptempo rockers, such as the ridiculously tongue-in-cheek "Private Dick," and country-influenced ballads ("River of Love") form the bulk of the album. With barrelhouse piano added by John Mealing, the music highlights the younger Jagger's ability to write raucous bar-room sing-alongs. And his singing voice is perfectly suited to the material. Though the album is not strong enough to go multi-platinum by any stretch of the imagination, it is a puzzle as to why Chris Jagger and Valentine Vox weren't able to break into the mainstream of rock. ~ Steve Kurutz