Category: Power Pop Review

Vinnie Zummo and Nine Times Blue

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

Vinnie Zummo “Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America Vol 3”
Once again Vinnie Zummo gives us a collection of stylistic homages in several different genres. The melody of “I Wanna Love You” features bright Breach Boys styled harmonies, and Vinnie’s compelling lead.  The slide guitar and jangley melody of “Play Paul McCartney” sure to warm the hearts of power pop fans everywhere. He uses retro Beatles song structure on “Can’t You See,” and a vintage Stevie Wonder harmonica for the soul pop of “Funky Games.” He even does Steely Dan on “Howd This Happen,” the man is the definition of versatility.

His wife Janice really stands out as the vocalist for the country tune “Pocket Full of Soul.” You’ve got a massive twenty of tracks of music and I have to say that Vinnie’s songwriting and production have continued to improve. Recommended tracks are “Heartless,” “Just For You,” “Living On The Sun,” and with “George Harrison” he’s got a song for each Beatle! Update: Just finished an interview with Mr. Zummo. Read it here.

 
This tune is from Vinnie’s second album “Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America Vol.2” and its for sale here!

Nine Times Blue “Falling Slowly”
The band is named after a Michael Nesmith song and is based in the Washington DC area. Lead by Kirk Waldrop (vocals and guitar) and joined by Greg King (guitar), Jeff Nelson (bass) and Jason Brewer (drums) opens with the title track, and I could sworn it was the Goo Goo Dolls or The Gin Blossoms. It’s rock with a high jangle content and familiarity. In addition, a cadre of power pop stars have minor roles (Joe Giddings, John Faye, David Myhr) on the LP.

The strongest material is early on, the most impressive being “Crazy To Think” and the title track. The instrumentation is exceptional, as evidenced on “Grace” and “Silent Words.” Other than a few heartfelt melodies like “Fun and Games” and some guitar acrobatics on “So Much Time,” it just didn’t move me like the first three songs here. But, if you like contemporary rock with a emphasis on strong guitar playing, this is for you.

The World Record and Steve Katz

powerpopaholic 1 Comment

The World Record “Freeway Special”
After the highly acclaimed Guitars Forever in 2007, songwriter Andy Creighton (Apex Manor, Papercuts) second solo project picks up right where he left off.  After the quick demo-like intro “One Knee” it goes into the title track with Big Star styled guitar chords and a strong horn section. Next we get the subtle lounge tones of “Candy” and the mutli-tracked acoustics and harmony in “A Little More Time.”

There is an element of Andy’s jangley sound that will definitely appeal to fans of Chis Stamey (DB’s) and REM, especially on “Be Nice” and “Cats on The Roof.” Some songs are simple sketches with compelling melodies like “Call The Doctor” and “Stopping Somewhere.” Not everything sticks, but with 18 tracks you can’t go wrong here as most hit the mark. Additional highlights include “Marsha (Think It Over)” and “She’s Not A Liar.”

Steve Katz “Barricades” EP
This is not power pop, but you can’t ignore talent like this. Originally from Belgium, singer/songwriter Steve Katz has made Manhattan his home and produced his debut. It highlights Steve’s strong vocal skills which resembles a mix of Eddie Vedder and Damien Rice on the modern rock opener “Thrive.” He follows this with a simple acoustic ballad “Today I Saw Hope” and title track, but my favorite here is “Fair” because the melody  is memorable and a good match for Steve’s rich vocal performance – kinda reminds me of David Gates and Bread.

Power Popaholic on The Time Machine

powerpopaholic

I was thrilled to be able to talk about the Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack on The Time Machine with Michael McCartney on Radio KEAO/KONI/KPMW/KRKH in Hawaii. Michael was great to feature me and allow me to plug the Soundtrack.

The Time Machine is a radio program that uses a nonsense name as an excuse in order to play music from all over the musical spectrum. The show plays a lot of new stuff in addition to covering over 70 years of pop sounds. Listen to them from links through our Radio Stations section or visit The Time Machine.fm

You can also listen to the interview on pod-o-matic.

International Power Pop Special: Quatre

powerpopaholic

Luciano Albo “A Ordem Natural das Coisas”
From Porto Alegre, Brazil comes a truly gifted musician that does brilliant power pop in his native Portugese! His album title means “The Natural Order of Things.” I couldn’t translate all the lyrics for you, but Luciano has a solid Beatles influence and 2 albums are available in his native country. His compositions have plenty of melodic hooks and harmonies and the whole thing was mixed by frequent Mike Viola partner Ducky Carlisle. His is still setting up a site to sell stuff in the USA, but you can listen to Lucino on Soundcloud. Enjoy!
Listen to everything on Soundcloud! | Facebook | Buy the album here!

 

BB Brunes “Long Courrier”
The French power pop band  I mentioned a while ago has a new album. The band seems to have moved away from rock & punk, and has embraced a slicker indie pop sound. The catchiness is still evident in “Coups Et Blessures,” with its cool guitar and synth rhythms. This album is sung entirely in French, and the sound has lots more in common with The Bravery or Scissor Sisters on the track “Stereo.” It relies on Adrien Gallo’s soft vocal and synth beats for most of the time.

Finally, the guitar riffs make a welcome return on “Lala Queen” and “RIP” which would make a nice soundtrack for a Victoria’s Secret commercial. Otherwise it seems a perfect example of a good rock band trying to make itself “more commercially” palatable to the masses. Sigh.

Kenny Howes “Tornadoes Here and Past”

powerpopaholic

Kenny Howes “Tornadoes Here and Past”
It seems like a million years since I last heard Kenny Howes, who was a bona fide power pop superstar in the late 90’s. I am happy to report on his return, with Tornadoes Here and Past, a new album full of original material. Opening with the delicate acoustic rhythms of “Cannot Remember” it showcases Kenny’s instrumental prowess, then builds to a fantastically lush melody. “Slip On By” has echos of Todd Rundgren, and “Silence and Camouflage” guitar and bass combo is classic Kenny Howes pop.

There are a few detours, like the 70’s influenced “Foxy Jackie” has some nice horn accents and nice harmonies. Other highlights, “People are Doing Stuff” is a simple whimsical ditty, that asks the question “What are you doing?” It gets a bit looser on the albums second half with the powerful rocker “You Don’t Say Anything” and the Harrison-styled slide guitar of “Five Minutes Of Rain.” We are treated to some Beach Boys harmony on the intro of the impressive closer “We Don’t Get To Say Goodnight.” Overall another triumphant comeback in a year full of them. Don’t miss this one either.

Kenny has played with tons of artists in power pop, including Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio, here doing a cover of The Monkees “I’m A Believer”