Jeff Elbel is a mainstay in the indie rock scene. Heading up the great Farewell to Juliet and production credits for the likes of Michael Knott, LSU, EDL, and many more bring him to a new venture. Ping, the next side project in his busy career, is a band stating influences of groups like King's X and Adam Again. No Outlet is their collective debut release with proceeds going to the Gene Eugene Memorial Fund (Gene Eugene was the front man of Adam Again and one of the best Christian musicians of our time) and Habitat for Humanity.

I'm looking hard but not seeing this King's or AA influence. This is, though, an acoustic album; a good one at that. The words of Elbel definitely shine through, painting a wide array of stories. Each track is, for the most part, the same but a flute, harmonica, saxophone, accordion, toy piano, and many other things make each song differ just enough. "Crawl My Way" and "Mary Across the Ocean" emphasizes the LP with amazing anthems almost holding a candle to Elbel's friend Mr. Knott. Perfect for any fan of Knott's Cush and the Vigilantes of Love, this is definitely an outlet for any acoustic fan.

- Review date: 12/15/01, written by Blake Garris of Jesusfreakhideout.com