''North Avenue Wake Up Call'' is an album by the American band

the Freddy Jones Band The Freddy Jones Band is a roots rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Band members have cited as their influences Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Little Feat, Mark Knopfler, and Bob Dylan. Despite the band's name, none of the bandmembers is named Freddy ...

, released in 1995. The title refers to the Chicago expressway exit the band used whenever they returned home from touring. The album peaked at No. 186 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The band supported the album by touring with

Sonia Dada Sonia Dada was an American rock, soul, and rhythm and blues band, formed in Chicago in 1990. Founding member Daniel Pritzker enlisted Michael Scott, Paris Delane, and Sam Hogan after hearing the latter three sing in a subway station.Biography Al ...

Production

The album was produced by Justin Niebank. It is about life as a working band; all four Freddy Jones Band members contributed to the songwriting, inspired by spending 250 days on tour the previous year. The band undertook short tours while recording the album to help them better shape the songs.

Howard Levy Howard Levy (born July 31, 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist. A keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, Levy "has been realistically presented as one of the most important and radical harmonica innovators of the twentieth century. ...

played harmonica on the album.

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' wrote that "the band showcases its breezy, polished blend of sharp guitar hooks, congenial melodies, and dusty tales of life on the road... The songs seamlessly mix bits of R&B, roots music, rock, and blues." The ''

Sun-Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...

'' called the album "a funked-up mixture of rock and blues as befits Chicago natives; the FJB takes it all in and plays it right back out in measure." The ''

Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatc ...

'' opined that the Freddy Jones Band "maintains its lithe melodies with an added power punch." ''

The State A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "stat ...

'' noted that "'Deep in the Flow' is funky; 'Wherever You Roam' is bluesy; and the band approaches ZZ Top decibel levels on 'Goodbye'." The ''

Daily Herald Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'' determined that "the Jones boys' hallmarks are melodic invention, strong vocals and incisive instrumental work—all elements present in force here." ''

The Cincinnati Post ''The Cincinnati Post'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In Northern Kentucky, it was bundled inside a local edition called ''The Kentucky Post''. The ''Post'' was a founding publication and onetime ...

'' concluded that "Hammond organ and mandolin fills help give this pop its Midwestern character, with a rock and blues base." The ''

Star–Banner The ''Star–Banner'' is the daily newspaper in Ocala, Florida, United States, and serves Marion County and the surrounding communities. The ''Star-Banner'' has a daily circulation of about 43,000, and is the 19th-largest newspaper in the state ...

'' deemed the album "a sincere-sounding set of progressive, groove-intensive rock that's also radio-friendly."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that the "impressive" album "retains the group's roots rock attack but manages to pay more attention to songs and lyrics."

Track listing

References

{{authority control Freddy Jones Band albums 1995 albums Capricorn Records albums