The Offbeat “In Love Field”
The Beatlesque band takes all the tracks from the great EP “To The Rescue” and adds a few more to make it even better. Since I already raved about those tracks, the band pretty much continues where it left off with “Where is The Girl” complete with it’s McCartney styled melody and crisp harmonies. A country-folk harmony leads the warm sing along “Whern You Got Love” and this easy feeling continues on “A Love To Last.” The band has gone beyond just sounding Fab, but stretching to include other bands of the era like The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, and even the closing track “Jennifer Says” recalls The Moody Blues. You have to give the boys (Darren Finlan, Tony Cox, and Nigel Clark of Dodgy) full credit for serving up such sweet slices of pop nostalgia to close out the summer with.
The Nick Vernier Band “Sessions”
Nick Vernier is an alias for musician-producer Eric Van Den Brink, and he’s put together an eclectic treat by teaming up with several well known artists on each track. Starting with Paul Jones “I’m Your Kingpin” it has a funky sax and harmonica that recall classic Steely Dan. Next comes the album highlight, “I Send Up My Prayer” done with Probyn Gregory (Wondermints) full of rich melodic texture and hints of the old Mints are easy to hear. Next a collaboration with Emitt Rhodes on a sitar version of “Time Will Show the Wiser” with Iain Matthews (Fairport Convention) will mellow you for sure. The strangest song here is a reworking of The Monkees “Zilch” with musical accompaniment and the actual song samples – it kind of works as “Mister Bob.” Another notable track is “Now Sue” a Gerry Beckley (America) original mid-tempo charmer, with beautiful backing harmonies from Jeffrey Foskett (Brian Wilson’s band). Other tracks experiment with jazz, world music, and blues – but the pop tracks standout nicely and are welcome on my ipod.