Chris Stamey and Willie Nile

powerpopaholic
“Chris

Chris Stamey “Anything Is Possible”

Chris Stamey, a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and producer from North Carolina, has a long and illustrious history in indie rock, including co-founding the power pop band the dBs, playing with Alex Chilton, Jody Stephens’s Big Star Quintet, and recording with the Salt Collective. Stamey has also broadened his focus in recent years to encompass contemporary interpretations of the Great American Songbook and various other genres. This album mixes several distinct styles.

The glorious “I’d Be Lost Without You” opens things. Not your average Beach Boys pastiche, it’s given life through a variety of guest stars like Mitch Easter, Probyn Gregory, and Rob Ladd. And when the Lemon Twigs entered the picture with their harmonies, it grew into something more. The Twigs influence flows through a few other tracks, like the hopeful title track “Anything is Possible,” a powerful mantra that sticks. Next, it shifts to “After All This Time,” a lovely contemporary interpretation of a pop standard. “Meet Me In Midtown” has a Brill Building-style New York themed melody, loaded with character and nice flourishes.

The only cover here is of Brian Wilson’s “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” given a more orchestral treatment. “Done with Love” is another pop gem that shows being burned by love can prove to be inspirational. Brian Wilson wrote the pinnacle of “teenage symphonies,” but Chris approaches the topic with an obviously adult perspective. Overall a great listen for the wistful and lovelorn. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

“Willie

Willie Nile “The Great Yellow Light”

NYC rocker Willie Nile is survivor, and on his 21st album he starts our ride with “Wild, Wild World” a bouncy sing along on the precarious state of our planet with climate change, and inaction in Washington. Loaded with handclaps and amazing riffs, the bridge is very much like Cheap Trick. He then raises his fist in defiance with the strong anthem “We Are, We Are,” and keeps things rolling with boogie woogie rock of “Electrify Me.” These tracks are classic Willie Nile in fine form.

Things quickly slow down in tone and style on the very keltic folk of “An Irish Goodbye” with Paul Brady, and the title track is very much a story of Willie looking to the future generations with “wonder in her eyes, thunder in her heart.” On “Tryin’ To Make A Livin’ In The U.S.A.” to be honest, Willie sings “There’s nothing wrong with me a hit record wouldn’t cure” and “Fall On Me” is a great Dylanesque song of support. He closes it out with the patriotic “Wake Up America” and “Washington’s Day,” a solid message for the country to pay attention to what’s going on. Overall a solid effort with no filler and a worthy addition to his stellar catalog. Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Compilations Worth Getting: The Songs of Rick Springfield and Jeffrey Foskett

powerpopaholic
“The

Various Artists “Second By Second By Minute By Minute: The Songs of Rick Springfield”

Rick Springfield is known for his time on the TV soap opera General Hospital and  several of power pop classics from the 1980s, such as “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” and “The Human Touch.” However, Springfield has been in the music business since the early 1970s, and his work spans a variety of genres, including pop, rock, power pop, and New Wave. He remains a rock and roll survivor, and still is very active to this day.

Andrew Curry, executive producer, has assembled an incredible roster of power pop musicians to pay tribute to Rick, many of whom have been on his previous compilations (Andy Gibb, Paul Williams, etc.) Great artists like Splitsville, The Corner Laughers, Lisa Mychols, Joe Giddings, and more dig deep into the discography. Highlights include Popdudes’ faithful “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” Eytan Mirsky’s version of “Jesse’s Girl” and Barely Pink’s honky tonk version of “Love Somebody.” And if these songs encourage others to investigate Springfield’s past, dig away! Highly Recommended.

Amazon


Jeffrey Foskett

Jeffrey Foskett “Something There – Remembering Jeffrey Foskett”

Although his passing pained me, it was a revelation how crucial Jeffrey Foskett was to Brian Wilson‘s resurgence in the twenty-first century. It is a fact that Brian never would have completed the ‘SMiLE’ album or ‘Pet Sounds’ tour without him doing the high falsettos the Beach Boys made famous. Foskett also had a key role in bringing The Beach Boys back together for their wildly popular reunion record and 50th anniversary tour in 2012.

This set is a more comprehensive retrospective of his career. It includes appearances from Brian Wilson, Mike Love, America, Robert Lamm (Chicago), Christopher Cross, Los Straightjackets, and more. Several important Foskett recordings are included in this 25-song compilation (“I Live For The Sun,” “Everybody,” and “Something There”), along with rare duets and previously unreleased tracks. For Beach Boys fans this is essential listening.

Amazon

Off-the-beaten-path: Bicentennial Drug Lord

powerpopaholic
Mike Delevante

Bicentennial Drug Lord “You Are Never Alone”

Bicentennial Drug Lord is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based band comprised of longtime friends and songwriters John Daniels (Soda, Maki), Rick Donner (Punchdrunk), and Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse). Their imaginative sound combines different elements of both Americana and indie rock.

The gentle alt-country opener “This Pabst Blue Ribbon” evokes the small country bar with its layered guitar and shuffling rhythm. The long organ chords of “Caught Wishing” combine the slow, roots-driven balladry with indie rock fuzz guitar, a little like Tom Petty, and Daniels’s vocals give it sadness and weight. The style of “The Ballad of Snooki the Pit” leans more into alt. pop with electric fiddle and synths. However, the guitars come out for the tribute “Iggy Pop,” which is a mini bio for the musical legend, and it’s a big highlight. Some songs lean into country more (“Rock Bottom”) but the tempos are relatively slow and the themes are generally downbeat. A final highlight is the closer, “The Gates of Headley Grange,” with its growing, layered synth and guitar chorus. The production here is multi-layered, bordering on psychedelic new wave. If you are looking for something different, I’d give this a try.

Amazon

Off-the-beaten path: Wonderlick “Goes to War”

powerpopaholic


“The

Wonderlick “Niagara Falls, 1969”and “Rhinoceros”

Woody Guthrie famously scribbled “This machine kills fascists” on the back of his acoustic guitar in 1943, but can musicians truly offer any effective resistance to rising political strife in 2025? ‘Wonderlick Goes to War’ is an attempt to answer this topic by the California duo Wonderlick (Jay Blumenfield and Tim Quirk). The 11 songs investigate the incredible true stories of human accomplishments, as well as the terrible depths to which they can descend, and attempt to connect the dots between the triumphs and tragedies. The album is due in early August.

Produced by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, Built to Spill), it opens with the pounding rhythms of “Niagara Falls, 1969” about how the famous Falls were drained for five months to allow engineers  to remove unstable debris. Visitors flocked to observe the falls in their dry form during this event. The song chugs along, the quirky lyrics include the things people found (coins, skeletons, etc.) and it all feels a bit like a lost Taking Heads tune with its repeating chorus.

Next, “Rhinoceros” is a deliberative analogy about how people who know can harden their political opinions against others, and charging like an animal against others that aren’t “one of us.” The song plods along with the duo harmonizing in distinctly different tones. The lead vocal is almost a warble, but the duo makes the song work with it’s harmonies and a very straight forward guitar line that reminds me of REM. Both songs have hooks that catch you and overall, these two tracks showcase the musical skills of Blumenfield and Quirk, and if you are looking for pop off the beaten path, check out the album!

Amazon (Rhino) | Amazon (Niagara Falls 1969)