William Cleere and Bleu

William Cleere and the Marvellous Fellas “s/t”
William Cleere has gathered a group special musicians with this gorgeous album. Produced by Allen Clapp (Orange Peels) it includes Karla Kane,Khoi Huynh, and KC Bowman (all from The Agony Aunts). Cleere sounds like a mix of Glen Campbell and Elton John and Karla Kane makes for the smooth duet on the piano driven “Labor Day”. Fans of Ben Folds and Billy Joel will appreciate the defiant key chords and bass line of “Side Effects.” This is more or less conventional piano rock tunes with Cleere’s crisp vocal in the forefront. It’s got slight touches of contemporary jazz and classical composition as evidenced by “Soul.”

But it also includes the rockabilly “Girl From NYC” and serves up a real standout on the finale “Goodnight Moon.” This strong melody includes a full group backing vocal, and it recalls Jackson Browne in his prime. The production and musicianship are pristine here – so audiophiles should get good headphones for this one, its worth it.

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Bleu “Besides”
One of last years’ goodies that I missed at the time. In the wake of Bleu’s Four, he had a ton of additional tracks lying around, so like the album title says its his “B-sides.” However with a talent like Bleu, his B-sides are better than most artists’ A sides. Joined by guests like Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Eric Barao and Ducky Carlisle – how can you go wrong?

Opening with the earnest sax and piano ballad “Take Cover” but soon the 70 and 80’s era stylings come through on “When The Other Shoe Falls.” With disco beats and synth melody, It’s like El DeBarge and Michael Jackson had a Bleu baby. This style get repeated on “Blow Up The Radio,” another song with maximum funk and danceability. But my favorite here is “Mailman’s Son,” a bouncy McCartneyesque earworm in the best sense. A few ballads lay on the dramatic syrup a bit thick, but otherwise a terrific album.

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The Stars Explode “Between The Lines”

The Stars Explode started as a kind of vanity solo project by Doug Edmunds, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of critically acclaimed ’90s power pop outfit, Gladhands. “Here and Now” is a great start with a driving beat and Doug’s strong vocal. Guitarist Eric Peterson (DB’s, Matthew Sweet) follows the vocals on “Feet Of Clay” with his signature riffs.

One of the best tracks here is the quirky melody of “Funny Feeling” with its churning rhythm and Edmund’s loose vocals. The lovely acoustic jangle of “Memphis Moon” comes very close to an old Gladhands tune. Another smart melody is on “Cinderella At Half Past” and the fitting coda is on display with “What’s It Gonna Take To Make You Happy?” where the band let’s it all hang out. It’s been over 4 years since Edmunds last Stars Explode project, let’s hope for more to come.

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Bill DeMain and Ben Kweller

Bill DeMain “Extended Stay” EP
Nashville songwriter Bill DeMain has written for an impressive array of musicians (Marshall Crenshaw, David Mead, Bleu, Kim Richey, and Farrah) but now he goes solo. However he lost his home during the May 2010 flood, and months later a second home was burned to the ground by a stray cigarette butt. That led to a transient existence, and he wrote a lot of music in that time.

The autobiographical “Looking For A Place To Live” starts out with its acoustic strum and sad tale. Next is the Paul Simon meets Beach Boys romp of “St. Joe’s ’75” as it looks back at his Catholic School years. “In Your Letter” is a Gershwin styled piano ballad, and the McCartneyeque “Honeylove” is another tender musical treat. Rounded out by the Billy Joel influenced “Common Love Song” and soft shoe shuffle of the bittersweet “Raggedy Man” there is no flaw here, other than it’s simply too short. My favorite EP this year! Please Bill can I have some more?

Ben Kweller “Go Fly A Kite”
Ben Kweller been a dependable artist on the power pop front—and after getting his Ryan Adams styled country mojo out on his last album Changing Horses, it’s nice to find Ben going back to his pop rock roots (for a few tracks).

Kweller’s songwriting has always been quality whether he’s doing garage rock, folk, or country. And just to prove it to those who doubt his power pop cred, he opens with “Mean To Me” where he states “Don’t regret anything I ever did, because I always knew where I was coming from…”  to a kick-ass guitar riff and defiant chord progression. The remaining parts of the album aren’t as rockin’ but they’re still darn good. “Out The Door” is an impressive Wilco-styled bit of country pop that is easily the catchiest thing on the album. Leaning on influences as varied as Dylan, Tom Petty and The Eagles. “Free” is a good tune that recalls Joe Walsh, and “Full Circle” has a easy bounce and playful piano melody.

Kweller gives us one more rocker,“Time Will Save The Day” that compares well with Weezer or The Lemonheads – and its like a breath of fresh air after all that steel pedal twang throughout the rest of the album. It ends with wonderful strumming anthem, “You Can Count On Me.” No clunkers here, but the remaining tracks don’t stand out as much. A lively and cheerful return to form.

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Minky Starshine and Ken Simpson

Minky Starshine “Womanity”
Boston based Minky Starshine returns with bounce and swagger sure to please power pop fans. Opening with the Posies-like “Hard Times” it’s got both handicapping goodness and sweet harmonies with a Queen-like guitar solo. Next, “Heaven Sent” is an uplifting and romantic ballad, and it sets us up for the perfect riffage from the bass driven “Cinematic Mojo,” a sure-fire hit single.

“Straight Hip” is another good example of what makes Minky stand out, a solid vocal performance with great musicianship and a bouncy beat. More standard catchy songs like “What I Want” are followed by deep emotional appeals like “Bottle With The Blues.” The latter track, mixes those steady backing harmonies with a sliding bass and slow country beat. It quickly bounces the mood back on “Make You Mine” with some nice horns added to the chorus. No filler on this album, everything here is sure to win over new listeners ready to jump on the Minky Starshine bandwagon.

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Ken Simpson “You’re No Fun Anymore”
With the help of David Mead (who also produced the album), Ethan Eubanks and “Rutling” Ken Thornton, vocalist Ken Simpson gives us a Beatlesque treat. Firstly we hear “The Poisoner’s Song” it resembles Lennon or maybe Neil Innes with “Strawberry Fields” styled orchestration. The distinctive Harrison-like slide guitar opens “He’s Not Looking” as it bounces along on a catchy melody line, it’s one of the best songs here. “Feeling So Much Better” also gets the point across as Simpson intones “It’s not easy to be growing old this way…” and the chorus puts a hopeful spin on things. Unfortunately even though next few tunes are very pleasant, the hooks aren’t really there to compel repeat listens. The lyrics continue to be ruminations of mundane middle age feelings (“I Guess I Never Told You” and “Perfect Day”). While the title may conjure up that old Monty Python sketch — this short album is quite fun most of the time.

CD Baby | Amazon