By Mike Fordham

For the past several years, the United States has been experiencing an “Australian invasion” of musical acts. Groups like Jet and the Vines have risen to popularity here in America. The latest Aussie export, however, sounds unlike any previous newcomers from Down Under. On their major label debut Sunrise Over Sea, the John Butler Trio brews together roots rock, country-funk, folk and blues with a hip-hop and reggae mentality.

Most likely, the John Butler Trio will get tagged with the “jamband” label. While it’s not entirely fitting, there is good reason for it. Like many popular jambands, the Trio has been virtually independent since its inception (Butler himself busked for some time). The group built up a grassroots fanbase with their improv-heavy live shows. Plus, as mentioned before, the John Butler Trio dabbles in and out of numerous genres.

For being just a trio, Butler and company create full-sounding songs. Many tracks are very busy (“Company Sin,” “Seeing Angels”), and require multiple listens to pick apart every instrument. All three players (guitarist/vocalist Butler, drummer Shannon Birchall and bassist Michael Barker) perform with various instruments. In fact, Butler specializes in banjo, dobro and 6, 11 and 12 string guitars (he has synthetic nails for his picking style). “Mist,” “Seeing Angels,” and the ominous “Damned To Hell” show off Butler’s banjo prowess and picking skills. The pro-environment track “Treat Yo Mama” is an earthy mix of swamp blues and folk, accented with lap steel guitar and bongos. Despite the whirlwind of genres, everything blends together and makes sense. With lesser talented musicians, Sunrise Over Sea would be a sloppy mess, but the John ButlerTrio keeps things concise and interesting at the same time. The catchy funk of “Zebra” even features spoon solos that don’t sound forced, but organic.

The few missteps on the album can all be attributed to overindulgence. “What You Want” and “Sometimes” are too long for their own good, and “Bound To Ramble” simply plods along. Such mistakes are excusable, though.

Fans of mainstream acts like Dispatch and the Dave Matthews Band, as well as more traditional jam groups like the String Cheese Incident or Widespread Panic, could all identify with and enjoy Sunrise Over Sea. If things fall into place, the John Butler Trio may be as big as they are in Australia. Based on the strength of their US debut album, the sun is definitely rising for the John Butler Trio.

The Chronicle gives ´Sunrise Over Sea´, by John Butler Trio five out of five stars.