Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, co founders of the dB’s, and collaborators on “Mavericks” 14 years ago have reunited, and they still have that spark. On Here and Now, they fall into a comfortable role as pop’s most under rated duo. Opening with the Beatlesque “My Friend The Sun,” it is a shiny gem of melodic genius with subtle guitar interplay and Peter’s direct earnest vocals. This is adult contemporary rock in the best sense of the term. “Santa Monica” is a classic Stamey ballad full of dreamy sun-soaked guitar textures. “Bird on the Wing” comes closest to that old Mavericks sound, and the collaboration meshes the two artists perfectly. Appropriately, these “old” guys have made some real gems about approaching middle age. The album does tend to wander a bit, getting too reflective and could’ve used a few more upbeat songs. But tracks like “Here and Now”, “Some of the Parts”, and “Long Time Coming” are all great songs that you’ll want to play over and over. “Begin Again” is a somber ode to rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (with the great Branford Marsalis on sax). My favorite ballad here is “Long Time Coming,” about old friendships and it easily brings a lump to my throat. The emotional honesty here says more than tons of other musicians out there, and I would love to hear more from these two.

Holsapplestamey.com | emusic | Itunes

Holmes (aka Roy Shakked) has the ability to write melodic songs full of humor and meaning. After a very good debut, we have a self titled sophomore effort which collects all the tracks from the Basement Tapes EP and adds a few more. The new material is mainly guitar based blues ballads and pop, that evoke a bleak picture. “Let Go” is a Steely Dan styled pop dirge where “two jobs and broken wife” weigh on Roy’s mind. This is very timely recession era music and it’s an album highlight. “Unsatisfied” channels a Paul Simon mid-tempo ballad with a gentle synth keyboard. “Hurts So Bad” and “Not With You” are painfully poignant and depressing ballads that make Elliot Smith sound cheerful. The excellent “So Many Of You” strays into the sunlight a bit more and it’s got a masterful hook in the chorus. The older songs fit nicely here, with the exception of the Devo-ish “Go Computer.” And it’s always fun to hear the Bush bashing “Not A Political Song.” The haunting cover of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” round out the album. If you didn’t pick up Basement Tapes, this collection is worth the listening effort — it’s full of high quality musicianship and great timely songwriting.

My Space | Itunes | Holmes website

Fans of sunshine and baroque pop would do well to check out the latest album from Armstrong. Songs About The Weather is a sweet batch of light pop gems that will bring to mind Andrew Sandoval, William Pears, or The Pearlfishers. Opening with the light synths and gentle strum of “Break It In Two”lead singer Julian Pitt sets the albums pastoral tone. Next “Sunshine Feeling” has a Byrds/Beach Boys feel that makes for a perfect summer song. But there is definitely an undercurrent of sadness across the rest of the album. Starting with the break-up song “Perhaps It’s Time We Said Goodbye,” it’s a delicate song that looks back at love lost. Much of the remaining songs take this melancholy approach. And the lovely acoustic guitar work is an ever present backdrop to these dark songs like, “Picture of The Bay,” and “Rainfall” which reminds me of summer teen romance in a past memory. Thankfully a few up tempo songs are added, and “Summer Rain” and “Drowning in Self Belief” recall those Chad & Jeremy folk tinged pop classics. If you enjoy wistful ballads and sun-kissed melodies that are brimming with emotion you’ll want to listen to Armstrong.

My Space | Kool Kat Musik

If you enjoyed the light pop touch of The Simple Carnival then there is a very good chance you’ll like Scott Brookman. Scott writes sweet melodic piano pop in the tradition of the 60’s and 70’s with a Tin Pan Alley touch. The title track is an intro to “This Little Samba” a bossa nova beat driven tune that recalls those light Burt Bacharach songs with a wry humor about a wandering mojo. Todd Rundgren fans will surely appreciate the bouncy “The First Assault Upon My Day” which sounds like it fell off of Something/Anything. Scott’s diverse influences are both immediate and enjoyable. The wonderful “Real Estate” shows off some excellent arrangements that recall mid 70’s McCartney with true affection. Other highlights include “Getting Involved” with subtle harmonies blended in the chorus and the very Steely Dan-ish “Home School,” with some fancy keyboard work. The lyrics are also very emotional stories that fans of Andrew Gold and Randy Newman will gravitate to as well. “Lemon Lane” is a warm and fuzzy pop gem that has a solid hook and even a kazoo solo at the midpoint. Even with the hilarious ending song “Start the Day” you can’t help think of Brain Wilson in the sandbox making up the words as he goes along. The album starts and ends with the crackle of record vinyl and if you ever owned a record collection, this one would be a welcome addition (on CD).

My Space | CD Baby