Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Cloud Eleven and Caddy

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Cloud Eleven

Cloud Eleven “Pandora’s Box”

Last year during the Pandemic lockdown, Rick Gallego (aka Cloud Eleven) was exploring his collection of demos, song snippets, and outtakes. He found enough good stuff here to build upon, and his unique approach makes this a step above the typical rarities album.

The experimental title track “Pandora’s Box (Schone Lulu)” is an interesting 60’s styled instrumental, and the Beach Boys-inspired “Row Row Row” is another neat curio, along with “Radiant Radish.” Light and pleasant fare like “You Make Me Happy” and “Homework” feel a little underdeveloped. The blissfully romantic “Extraordinary Girl,” “Deep Down” and “Heaven-Scented Bliss” are what Cloud Eleven fans expect and love, but there are other experiments here that just don’t work. One pleasant surprise is a cover of The Isley Brothers “I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door.” For fans of the band, it’s a great addition. But newcomers to Cloud Eleven should check out Record Collection first.
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Kool Kat Musik


Caddy

Caddy “Detours and Dead Ends Vol. 1

Another covers album? Not quite. Tomas Dahl (Caddy) decided to do the research and cover some obscure power pop bands across the 70s and 80s. And the songs are deep tracks as well. It’s most likely you’ve never really heard these songs, and that makes them “new” to most people. Heck, even I didn’t recognize most of them, and that encourages more exploration.

Caddy has a clean hard rock sound and the opener “Walking On The Roof” (Sgt. Arms, 1982) is a really cool song, and Tomas makes it his own (as he does with all these). Lots of highlights here, my faves being “If I Call Your Name” (Junior Campbell, 1971), “Cost of Love” (The Cretones, 1980), and “No Money ” (The Freshies, 1980). Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

 

Richie Mayer and Jim Trainor

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Richie Mayer

Richie Mayer “The Inn of Temporary Happiness”

During the 1980’s Chicago Power Pop bands like Pezband, Cheap Trick, and Shoes helped carve out their own niche, and Richie Mayer’s band Loose Lips, was there at the time, (even on TV!) but the well-regarded group only released a single EP.  40 years later Mayer is back, bursting with creativity on his own solo effort.

Loaded with solid production, influenced by The Cars and The Beatles primarily, it starts with “Dangerous Rythym,” a great guitar-based tune, layered with details and Mayer kind of sounds like Ric Ocasek here. Even better is the hook-filled “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore,” sure to get you playing air guitar and singing along. Highlights include the Beatlesque “Love Will Find A Way,” the gentle rocker “Come Back Caroline,” the rousing “Don’t Say Nothing,” the Jellyfish-like “She Is Why,” and many more.

The vocals Mayer delivers shifts with several songs, some sounding like a psychedelic pastiche in the same way Andrew Gold did with The Fraternal Order of The All, and others going in a more 80’s MOR sound. It demands multiple listens to appreciate the craftsmanship here. Not a bad thing and most songs do hit the bullseye. Highly Recommended.

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Jim Trainor

Jim Trainor “Staring Down The Sun”

Idaho native Jim Trainor’s EP last year was impressive, but now his Nick Bertling produced full-length debut shows off a great opener in “Truth,” a heavy rock-pop gem that’s shows off Jim’s exceptional songwriting, and thick hooks. The follow-up “Heaven Descending” boasts a strong chorus, and it leads to the exceptional power ballad “Staring Down The Sun.” Jim develops another earworm for “Somewhere Before” and the “doo doo doo” lyric begs you to sing along with him.

As the music gets progressively lighter and/or mellower, the production is just as sweet.  Added highlights include “All I’m Thinking About” and “Maybe I,” with a distinct Beatley flavor and the frenetic layered guitars of “Rewind.” There are more than enough gems here to make this a highly recommended pick.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Great Tributes: Paul McCartney, Jimmy Campbell and Andy Gibb

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Ram On

Fernando Perdomo & Denny Seiwell “Ram On: 50th Anniversary Tribute To Paul & Linda Mccartney’s Ram”

For the 50th anniversary of Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney, producer and multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo joined with Denny Seiwell, the original drummer with Paul McCartney & Wings, who performed on the original Ram to create this stellar tribute. Joined by more original Ram players like David Spinozza (guitar) and Marvin Stamm (flugelhorn) they included Davey Johnstone (Elton John Band,) Will Lee (The Fab Faux,) and a collection of stellar singers.

From the opener “Too Many People” featuring Dan Rothchild you get a faithful adaption, but with all the sonic details in keeping with a modern recording. Each track is meticulously produced, each note lovingly, accurately re-created. My faves include; Pat Sansone (Wilco) on “Ram On,” Bebopalula on “Uncle Albert-Admiral Halsey,” Timmy Sean on “Monkberry Moon Delight,” Rob Bonfiglio and Carnie Wilson on “Long Haired Lady.” But there is no weak link among any tracks. This is everything you want in a tribute. Highly Recommended.

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Ex Norwegian and Friends

Ex Norwegian and Friends “Sing Jimmy Campbell”

You would be forgiven if you couldn’t recall Jimmy Campbell. A brilliant singer and songwriter for many Merseybeat bands; The Kirkbys, The 23rd Turnoff, and Rockin’ Horse, as well as solo material. Ex Norwegian and several other collaborators do a great job making Jimmy’s music less obscure. I was only familiar with The Rockin’ Horse, a great “lost” Beatlesque band, but the songs here speak for themselves.

Joe Kane (Dr. Cosmo’s Tape Lab) and Roger Houdaille (Ex-Norwegian) get the Rockin’ Horse single “Yes It Is” perfectly. Roger collaborates with a number of others and most of the tunes are not instantly recognizable (a good thing.) While not slavishly accurate to the originals, it makes for a great introduction to Jimmy’s songwriting genius. My faves include; Jim Camacho on “Don’t You Ever Think I Cry,” Edward Rogers on “You’ll Break My Heart In Two,” Mark Johnston on “Spending All My Money, and Arthur LaMonica on “Paris, You’re In Paris.” Highly Recommended.

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Ram On

Various Artists “Higher Than a Mountain: The Songs of Andy Gibb”

Curry Cuts is back with a new compilation, and as they often take the road less traveled, it leads us now to the lesser Bee Gee brother Andy Gibb. The late Andy Gibb was a rising star in 1977, rivaling his brothers with multiple top ten hits during that time. There are plenty of tributes to The Bee Gees, so this is a fresh look at Andy’s songwriting (with brother Barry’s help.) The tribute mostly removes the disco gloss from some of these songs, concentrating on the melodies.

The Pop 4 does a great job with the familiar “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water,” and the arrangements are tweaked just enough. Greg Pope keeps that great bassline for “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” and even though the falsetto is lacking, he effectively double-tracks the vocal. The most radicle interpretation is The Test Pressings which turn mellow “Why” into a Cheap Trick-styled arena rocker. In a few cases, it’s harder for artists to re-create those magic moments; Sparklejets cannot replace Olivia Newton-John on “I Can’t Help It.” However, most of these songs work fine and a few actually improve on the original, like The Armoires version of “Words and Music.” Highly Recommended.

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Rooftop Screamers and Bill Lloyd

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Rooftop Screamers

Rooftop Screamers “Next Level”

Musician/drummer Mike Collins (Throwback Suburbia) was very busy during the pandemic, as he’s written a lot of songs and set out to release them. He collaborated with a huge contingent of prominent guest artists, who provided the vocals to make Rooftop Screamers feel a little like a mixtape with a variety of pop, hard rock, etc.

We start with the fine “Buckle Up” sung by Tim Smith (Jellyfish) and it really soars during the chorus. The piano mid-tempo “Our Lucky Night” sung by Keith Slettedahl is a bit more Russian folk styled than I’m used to hearing from him, but it remains a good song. Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) nearly disappears into the rocker “One Wish” and “The Ladder” featuring Rob Daiker sounds like a lost hit from the 1980s.

Cy Curnin (The Fixx) does a great job with “Shifting Tides” and it’s a big highlight. Another winner “After The Fire” sung by Stephanie Schneiderman is a wonderful collaboration. Collins actually does a great job singing “Couldn’t Ask For More,” but it’s his only vocal performance here. I understand that bringing in big “name brand” musicians will often get your album press attention, but Collins’s songwriting is really good, and sometimes the singer doesn’t do the song justice. Overall a good album with some great highlights.

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Bill Lloyd

Bill Lloyd “A Selection of Power Pop 1985-2020”

This is a great primer to the uninitiated on the greatness of Bill Lloyd. Many songs go back to his solo recordings over the past 40 years, remastered and still sounding pretty fresh. From his debut Feeling the Elephant (1987) we start with “This Very Second,” “Nothing Comes Close,” and “Lisa Anne.” These songs established Lloyd as a power-pop force alongside Crowded House and The Smithereens at the time. The rising guitar leads continued with “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and the under-rated “Alright” which subconsciously seems to be a comment on his music (“it came out alright this time.”) from Set to Pop (1994).

His lighter pop ranges from the fun “Kissed Your Sister” to the easy-going gem “Better Left Alone,” he penned with Jamie Hoover (of The Spongetones.) The few tracks are remakes of “I Went Electric” and “Out of The Picture” which are much improved, with the latter tune evoking The Smithereens even more. “Mistakes Were Made” is another great song that delivers Lloyd’s philosophy with style. If this is the gateway drug to all things Lloyd, it’s a sweet start. Hopefully, a newbie will be encouraged to indulge in Bill’s past catalog. Great stuff that deserves to be heard and Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Bill Lloyd’s website

Brad Marino and Ramirez Exposure

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Brad Marino

Brad Marino “Looking For Trouble”

It took a few years for Brad to find his “groove” but he’s effectively taken the mantle of his old band The Connection, and made it his own. After a cautious debut, his former bandmate Geoff Palmer came out swinging with a louder, faster, punkier LP in 2019, Brad has effectively and literally “evened the score” with this album. Everything you ever loved about The Connection is on display and it’s got plenty of hooks, crushing riffs, and a variety of styles.

The bluesy guitar riffs open up “Even The Score” as Brad takes his “troubles in stride” and is “taking on the haters and trolls.” Even better is “Taillights Fade,” the catchy verse-chorus combo will stick in your head for days, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing along. Title track “Looking for Trouble” is another winner that has just the right amount of twang as it recalls The Georgia Satellites. Marino also doesn’t take himself too seriously as “Local Show” is a funny look at small venue shows (“which means nobody will go”) and I have personally heard that cheap nerd narrative in the last half of the song. The instrumental “Tripwire” is a nice tribute to guitar gods Duane Eddy and Dick Dale. Overall, there is not a false note here, every track rocks! This album is a contender for my top ten in 2021 for sure. Highly Recommended.

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Ramirez Exposure

Ramirez Exposure “Exit Times”

Víctor Ramírez better known by his stage name Ramírez Exposure, is a Valencia, Spain- based, DIY pop singer/songwriter. Victor’s influences are rooted in the sixties, but he’s not a retro artist. Exit Times has plenty of hook-laden themes displayed throughout. His sound is somewhere between David Brookings and Secret Friend.

Victor’s double-tracked vocals are distinct on the richly detailed opener “Bridges and Roads.” Next, the title track layers two guitar rhythms and drums together as Victor imagines white sand beaches just beyond the Pandemic timeline, but the best track here is “The Rituals” a love song that bounces along to an infectious call-and-response chorus. Next, things mellow a bit as the next several tracks have a dream-like thematic quality, and “Dalingeria” is another standout here. The end single “Dysfunctional Girl” feels like a bonus track, with a sweet guitar riff to send us off. It’s a grower that demands repeat listens with headphones. Highly Recommended.

Amazon Singles: Dysfunctional Girl | Exit Times | The Rituals