Ben Wilkins “Ben Wilkins”
Ontario-born Ben Wilkins was already a well-rounded musician, having studied classical music at Montreal’s McGill University and spent his post grad studies in Shanghai, China, when he began working with musical producers Pascal Shefteshy and Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright) to put together his debut album. The warm classical pop sound permeates most of this album, but the disjointed “Opening” has a mix of indie jazz percussive effects, piano and classical strings contrasting Ben’s clean vocals. It sounds like he has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into the mix to let us know he’s avant garde.

But what comes next is nothing short of a revelation. “Soup for One” is a perfect amalgam of Ben Folds and George Michael, with a simple piano chord that grows into a lushly orchestrated melody. The arrangement and vocals here are pitch perfect and draw you into his world. “Through to You” leans more to the sound of Ben Folds or Adrian Whitehead, with slick harmonies and clean horns. Read my full review at The Rock and Roll Report. But trust me on this, several songs have found a permanent home on my ipod – a stunning debut!

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Annie Dressner “Strangers Who Knew Each Other’s Names”
Angelic youth is the first impression of Annie Dressner from her vocals on the opening track “Fly,” an wistful song about the fear of failure and the need to “grow some wings and fly.” Fans of Zooey Deschanel (She and Him) and Nataly Dawn (Pomplamoose) will find a kindred spirit in Ms.Dressner. The excellent mid-tempo “Cigarette” has a hint of tambourine and the descriptive lyric ” I smoke a cigarette so I can taste you on my breath.” Guitarist Anthony Rizzo provides a suitable low profile to twanging songs like “Come Back” and the title track. The songs are mostly somber and introspective, although the tempo speeds up with “Hardy Boys” and “Find Me,” with the latter track leaning into alt. rock territory with jangling riffs following the chorus. Overall a solid debut, with each melody a showcase for Annie’s authentic emotions.

HiFi Superstar “One Hit Wonder”
The band formerly known as Brown Line Fiasco has returned with a new name and with a more distinct power pop focus. We start with “Closer” and the Raspberries influence is clear here. But the familiar hit of synth and guitars on “Down Low” bring to mind heavier rock acts like Butch Walker, Rooney and Cheap Trick, but thankfully the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. “Gimme A Try” is a wonderfully hilarious story of an old rocker trying to keep up with today’s musical crowd (“Did I just say “jiggy”? You’ll have to excuse me.”) The band has plenty of polish after a few years on the road, and the songwriting here has definitely improved.

The band does a nice job with the power ballad “Love is Enough.” The title track is certainly catchy, as is the centerpiece “Sunday Afternoon” – but there are a few clunkers here (“CYD” is one glaring example). That’s not to say it doesn’t have it’s moments of greatness,”Knock On Wood” is another keeper that brings to mind The Hudson Brothers, and the last track “It’s Up To You” oozes cool sophistication. There certainly is more than enough here to recommend, it’s tough to give it a just a “7” — it’s more a “7.5” so give it a try. Past albums can be found on CD Baby.