Jim Jones All Stars | Cat Fight

The unstoppable force that is Jim Jones All Stars fire up their engines once again to deliver their second majestic album, Cat Fight. Forged at the crossroads where James Brown and Little Richard collide headlong into The Stooges, the album is a glorious sonic fusion of soul-powered rock’n’roll, garage rock, gospel and gritty rhythm and blues, with sheer class oozing from every groove as it plunders classic influences from the past and drags them kicking and screaming into the 21st century…..so hold on tight, this is a wild ride ahead.

Even with the rapid passage of time that seems to engulf us all, it’s hard to believe that it is now almost four years since Jim Jones first gathered the embryonic All Stars to start creating some dazzling rays of soul drenched sunshine to overcome the gloom infested times that heralded the dawning of this new decade. And it wasn’t long before Jim crystalised this intense, soul-infused and highly energised wall of sound into their debut album Ain’t No Peril in 2023 giving us real belief again in the future. All seemed well with the world and it was definitely time to dance again.

With constant periods of touring that followed, a prestigious support slot for The Black Crowes on their Heartless Bastards UK and European dates in 2024, as well as joining The Wildhearts on their Spring 2025 tour dates, Jim Jones All Stars really started to spread their rock’n’roll gospel far and wide as they brought their explosive live shows to many new parts of the world. And this intense experience was captured impeccably in 2025 by their live album, Get Down ~ Get With It, which documents the sound of a band who are pioneering the revival of an age-old rock’n’roll spirit and supercharging it to a whole new and unprecedented level. And now with a full UK headline tour almost upon us, we get the release of their second studio album Cat Fight.

Aside from the fact that Jim Jones All Stars have a sound and a presence so much greater than the collective sum of the individual band members, all of whom have considerable talents in their own right, they are also augmented on this album by some specials guests, notably Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) on vocals, Chuck Prophet on guitar and Gloria Jones on vocals. The album was recorded at Bakerland Studios in Leeds and West Eleven Studios in London by Kevin Harris, and produced under the expert guiding hand of Chris Robinson, thereby enhancing the band’s musical pedigree even further.

The album opens in majestic style with the swampy blues of Make It Rain which explodes into a rousing duel between the twin guitar attack of Jim Jones and Carlton Mounsher and the two saxes of Stuart Dace and Tom Hodges, with Gavin Jay’s punchy bass lines and Aidan Sinclair’s pounding drums holding down a powerhouse rhythm. This is the sound of a band with a groove and a swagger and there ain’t no turning back from here.

Exiled immediately ups the pace as we venture into a brass led fusion of tightly locked James Brown style funk and the gospel influenced Stax soul sound, dominated by punchy hits with the horns and Elliot Mortimer’s twinkling keys, overlayed with Jim’s gritty and impassioned vocals. It’s a big brassy sweat soaked sound which has such a vintage feel but is totally current and in the moment and very much alive. Born 2 Ride ups the ante even further as it drips with raw fuzz drenched guitars and sinister and somewhat haunting vocals, before the full band really kicks in and the horns take it right through to a climactic conclusion.

I’m On Fire takes us back to the 60s doo-wop sound as it rolls with a swing, a sway, and a huge amount of swagger, underpinned with a strong walking bass sound and deep bass vocals, whilst Jim howls with such intense conviction “Can’t you see I’m on fire.” This is a classic example of how the new bigger band unit has allowed Jim to expand their sonic horizons with deep shades of age-old rhythm and blues melding seamlessly with soul-fired energy to give the sound some serious depth, alongside a serious amount of respect for the musical legacy which is harnessed within the sound.

Goin’ Higher is a feisty, no holds barred explosion of soul, garage and rock’n’roll all fused with the swagger, power and intensity which have now become a hallmark of the bands’ sound. It’s an explosion of unbridled energy and force which simply cannot be ignored as Jim screams out “get your hands up against the wall.” With the keys pushed to the limits of endurance, it’s another wild ride which shifts gears in its final passage as the saxes wail and the deep grooves get totally entrenched into your inner soul. At least the dark and sultry late night jazz vibes of Bekolah give us a brief but perfectly framed period of respite from all the intensity.

With “a one and a two and a buckle my shoe,” title track Cat Fight heralds an immediate return to the soul train as its gritty and groove-heavy Memphis style sound blends seamlessly with some early funk vibes, with more wailing horns and explosive drum patterns leading us back onto the dance floor with some serious intent to party. Gashman struts along with fractured rhythms and strident guitar runs with a sound which seems to ride purely on instinct giving it such a live feel which is both urgent and real and most definitely in your face.

Drink Me is a wonderfully funked-up and intoxicating cacophony of noise which exploits the soul-infused vibes of James Brown to great effect. The saxes are wailing, the drums are pounding, the keys are twinkling, the bass is rumbling and the guitars are roaring and it feels like the gates of rock’n’roll heaven are well and truly wide open for us all. The groove laden soundscapes of Chubby follow in a similar albeit slightly more subdued vein, whilst Luv U plunders the deep rooted legacy of age-old rhythm and blues to very great effect, infused with the spirit of Keith Richards harking back to some classic Stones style riffs.

Let U Go closes the album with a real vintage feel which drips with soul-fired power as it swings and sways through a trade-off between the guitars and saxes which inevitably bring it front and centre into the present day, very much alive and kicking. A classic end to a classic album.

Cat Fight is a glorious sonic fusion of soul-powered rock’n’roll, garage rock, gospel and gritty rhythm and blues which packs a seriously solid punch that you just cannot ignore. Alongside a real sense of freedom and spontaneity which was the hallmark of so many of the early blues recordings, this is an album which draw heavily from the great legacy that comes from Memphis and New Orleans thereby giving the songs some heartfelt soul wrapped around some heavy grooves whilst never straying too far from the intensity and ferocity of the rock’n’roll roots which fuel Jim Jones All Stars.

One of the greatest gifts of all is that through the efforts of bands such as Jim Jones All Stars taking the past and reshaping it so gloriously into an exhilarating new form for the future, this rich musical heritage is being passed on to new generations, thereby giving new life to the legacies left by so many great artists. And let’s face it, this is becoming ever more important in a world consumed by the digital age and all the challenges this presents to the creative arts as we know it.

You can experience all of this live and totally in your face on Jim Jones All Stars forthcoming UK tour which is heading to a town near you. So get yourselves down to one of these shows and get with it!

April
04 – The Piper, St Leonards
05 – The Joiners, Southampton
07 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
08 – The Bongo Club, Edinburgh
09 – The Cluny, Newcastle upon Tyne
10 – Future Yard, Birkenhead
11 – The Parish, Huddersfield
12 – Esquires, Bedford
23 – The Waterfront Studio, Norwich
24 – The Cavern, Exeter
July
03 – Yellow Arch Studios, Sheffield
05 – Portland Arms, Cambridge
October
18 – Scala, London

You can buy tickets for the tour dates here.

You can pre-order the album here.

You can find The Jim Jones All Stars on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and their website.

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All words and photos by Ian Corbridge. You can find more of his writing at his author profile here.