Jet Electro “Jet Electro”

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Written over a two month period, Jet Electro is the musical autobiography of a guitarist superhero. The opener “I’ll Never Find Another Girl Like You,” is certainly a catchy slice of rock and roll, and Craig Daniels lead vocal reminds me of Sammy Hagar if he played in the Rubinoos here. We get the Memphis soul of “Buckle Up” and then “For Sale By Owner” describes selling his boyhood home with a background chorus of “Buy it, Buy it.” A Big Star vibe is present in the ballads “I Don’t Know How” and “Fingerprint.”

Next we get some wonderful Gretsch bass and horns for the gem “Walter Cronkite” as the band celebrates the man who gives us “unity and truth.” Some wonderful Beach Boys styled harmonies open up “This Baby Of Mine,” a sweet tune about a man’s love for a 1965 Cadillac. The lone quirky misstep, “100 Girls” is like a great Allan Sherman tune – but it belongs on a comedy LP, not here. Overall a loose, fun pop album with some inspiring guitar riffs and memorable stories sure to put a smile on your face.

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The Well Wishers “Dreaming of The West Coast”

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With his sixth release Jeff Shelton has fallen into a great groove that makes him so prolific, I would call him the power pop version of Robert Pollard (GBV). Driven by tight, punchy rhythms from drummer Nick Laquintano (Spinning Jennies) the Well Wishers hit the ground running on “Escape The Light” with its mix of REM jangle and Posies styled vocal phrasing. “Allison” has a great fuzzy riff similar to Bob Mould’s Sugar and the piano led “Nothing Ever Changes” is another standout with a great hooks.

The impressive thing here is that Shelton’s sound has more variety than any previous release, and as always no filler to be found. He gets positively inspirational on “Free? No,” the heavy reverb on “Have Some More Tea” keeps things moving, and he gets downright punk on “All I Got.” A great start to the new year and our first nominee for the Top Ten of 2012!

CD Baby | Panc.org | Amazon


Hannah Cranna and Kensington

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Hannah Cranna “A Real Nice Parade”
With some help from Badfinger alum Joey Molland, Hannah Cranna does a “re-boot” of its 1997 debut from defunct power pop label Big Deal Records. We get an impressive start with “Hello,” a catchy tune in the best Badfinger tradition. This take us to a rootsy “Are You Going Home, Polly?” and some nice harmonizing on “Paul McCartney and Wings,” although the band mentioned in the title has absolutely nothing to do with the song. After a solid first half,  the album relies on re-mastered or re-recoreded tracks from the debut, and while pleasant enough there is nothing here that really sticks, until we get the slow compelling jam “Heroine on Ohio” and this tempo leads nicely into a live cover of Badfinger’s “Money/Flying” with Joey leading the band. Hannah Cranna would do much better if they leaned less on him, and did more to distinguish their sound, but for Badfinger completists this will be essential.

My Space | CD Baby

Kensington “Borders”
I saw this on a “best-of” list and gave it a spin. This is a Dutch band with a melodic-rock meets new wave dance sound. “Let Go” opens up with fast dance beats and it’s chorus does grow on you after a few listens. There are plenty of angular riffs and handclaps in “Youth” that qualifies it as power pop (barely). They’ve shared the stage with bands like Razorlight, The Wombats and My Chemical Romance and the duel vocals of Caspar Starreveld and Eloi Youssef mesh quite nicely. “All That I Know” has some wonderful harmonies and then switches to a manic tempo with shotgun riffs. This falls squarely in the alternative pop category, with classical overtones in the songwriting so fans of Sparks and Roxy Music may like it too. Other tracks that impressed me are “Not As Bright” and “Friendly Fire.” Definitely worth exploring.

Amazon | Itunes

The George Harrison Guitar App

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Wanna see George Harrison’s private guitar collection in detail? A new ipad app will make that possible. For the first time, with the help of unique 360° imaging by photographer Steven Sebring, fans can see the scratches, dings, and worn threads on the guitars as if they were themselves holding the instruments.

Fans will be able to examine Harrison’s private guitar collection, through personal audio recordings from Harrison himself as he introduces many of the guitars and plays sections of songs.

The Guitar Collection: George Harrison iPad app will be released through iTunes on February 23, two days before Harrison’s birthdate.

Johnny Stanec and Dirtywings

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Johnny Stanec “Narrow Is This Ghost Town”
Former frontman for First In Space,  Stanec’s solo debut has a variety of styles on display from guitar pop to alt. country. The echoing jangle of “Goodnight My Love” opens the album a little like a U2 anthem. “Let Me Know The Enemy” is a much better song with a strong vocal performance and memorable guitar-led chorus.The next few songs start to drag a bit, although “I’m Not Young Anymore” is moving mid-tempo ballad that reeks of bitterness. Thankfully there are a few gems here as “Sunny Days Are Nothing New” and “Going Tonight” – both are terrific singles. The album finishes strong enough, but it’s a little uneven in spots. However, this is a great showcase for Johnny’s vocal moods and songwriting.

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Dirtywings “Off The Earth”
Australian band anchored by Bec Wolfers falls somewhere between Liz Phair and Christina Aguilera. “Gingerbread” and “Superglue Myself”  are comfortable slices of ear candy and Paul Patterson (lead guitar) knows his way around a riff or two. Lyrically they pull no punches and go from morbid musings (“When My Body Dies”) to weird love songs (“I’m Your Jesus”). Unfortunately it’s tough to sustain interest pass the album’s second half, although the best written song here “Big Brother’s Watching” really taps into the problem of today’s mindless PC censorship. I would hope the band grows stylistically and keeps their warped POV intact on the next album.

CD Baby | My Space