I reviewed a father and son duo earlier this year, so here is another combo: Daniel A. Craig and his son Daniel F. Craig joined by the Wrecking Crew legend Larry Knechtel in one of his final recordings. The band calls the genre they play “TwanglePop” (bit of twang and jangle I suppose) that borrows from the heyday of 60’s and 70’s country rock. The studied rhythms that open “Pay It Forward” are pleasing and Knechtel’s organ playing recall Protocol Harum. The twangy “Your Favorite Song” compares well to The Jayhawks and Wilco. But the focus changes on “I Know A Woman” and the title track, where horns and synths evoke those cheesy AOR lounge tracks that make even Robert Lamm fans cringe. Thankfully, the album takes a brilliant turn on the descriptive “Yard Sale,” where the gentle harmonies tug at your heart. The album just gets better as it goes forward, with the strong atmospheric “Marysville” and even the drum machine sounds great on the excellent “Hollywood Walk Of Fame.” A lot of fun ends out the last track “Lament For The Aging Rocker” where a familiar guitar ditty speaks the truth here as it names names (“Do you think Def Leppard’s deaf?/When you’re way too old to fake it and you got no hair to shake, boy/Your medication starts kicking in…). The band also covers Sammy John’s “Chevy Van” quiet well. Listen to the album streaming at quakers on probation.com.
