I can think of no better gift this holiday season for the power pop fan than this Michael Mazzarella 4-CDR “Songwriter” collection. The set represents all of Michael’s released material to date, covering his songs with The Broken Hearts, The Rooks and solo albums. Michael is best known as leader of the cult power pop band The Rooks, yet his solo work is full of lovingly crafted melodies and heartfelt lyrics. The discs were purposely not sequenced in order but, as varied compilations to showcase his consistent and different (yet compatible) styles as a songwriter. So what is new here? Exclusively through Kool Kat Musik, Mazzarella is offering a BONUS DISC of 21 previously unreleased demos. Many were written either for The Rooks (“Christine Obscene”, “Shine Your Light On Me”, “To Tell The Truth”, “Crimson Girl”) while others (“Save Me Baby”, “Out Of The Rain And The Thunder”, “Metropolis Mine”, “We’re Gonna Move”) were written for Michael’s current band Sonic Blue Sound Revue.
For fans, the bonus disc is essential listening, my favorites include “A Great Prentender” and “Save Me Baby.” Even IPO founder David Bash called this collection “…the most beautiful and frank songs this side of John Lennon.”
