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Album Review: Smoking Popes – Lovely Stuff

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photo by Meredith Goldberg; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Album Review of Smoking Popes: Lovely Stuff (Anxious and Angry)

Smoking Popes‘ Lovely Stuff is like a brand new blast from the past. The band, whose broadest mainstream success came in the ’90s, clearly hasn’t lost a step with this new release. For those (few) of you who’ve followed my writing from the early days, all the way back to when I launched my print publication, Geoff Wilbur’s Renegade Newsletter, you’ll recall that I was based in East Lansing, Michigan. The rock bands in Midwest college towns like East Lansing had a trademark sound in the mid-’90s. The biggest band to emerge from the East Lansing scene was The Verve Pipe, but that scene had several equally talented bands that very easily could have equaled or exceeded The Verve Pipe’s success. It was almost shocking that a half-dozen bands didn’t emerge from that scene; East Lansing for a couple years there seemed like it might be the next Athens. But we were a little myopic in the East Lansing scene; in fact, that alt-rock/college rock sound with catchy hooks and a pop sensibility was thriving throughout the Midwest. One of the bands that emerged with a similar sound, though musically a bit more aggressive and punkier, at least around the edges, was Chicago’s Smoking Popes. So, you know, not a sibling of the East Lansing sound but maybe a first cousin.

In the 1990s, the Smoking Popes had modest success, with their sophomore album, 1994’s Born to Quit reaching 37 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and that album’s top single “Need You Around” reaching 35 on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs chart in 1995, due in part to its inclusion on the Clueless soundtrack.

Lovely Stuff is the first Smoking Popes album in seven years, the band’s first release since 2018’s Into the Agony. Of course, I haven’t heard the band since the 1990s, so, as I mentioned in the review’s first sentence, this really does sound like a blast from the past. There’s not a lot of new music being made with this jangly, classic Midwestern college-town alt-rock sound these days. Still, it’s not too far off from modern alt-rock with a dash of pop-punk’s mainstream sensibilities. Still, the classic warmth and fullness atop the sometimes-frantic strumming is the mainstream appeal that many of today alt-rockers often miss.

The jangly guitars in disc-opener “Golden Moment,” as well as the tone of the vocals in the verses, are almost reminiscent of 1980s-era U2. But then the song jumps into uplifting, faster-paced alt-pop-rock mode when it reaches the chorus. It’s a nifty blend that makes “Golden Moment” a memorable song and a terrific choice for kicking off the disc.

I think the next track, “Fox River Dream,” might be the album’s most engaging, as the drum and guitar runs following the ends of the chorus are cool elements that unexpectedly push the song forward following the big harmony-driven chorus, something that would seem to call for a pause. That’s not just the only pop-friendly element in the song, as “Fox River Dream” is somehow noisy and raucous while, at the same time, being big and warm.

photo by Chris Tracy; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Where “Fox River Dream” may be the most engaging, I think “Never Gonna Break” might be my favorite song on the record. One of two, anyway. The verses start out steady, the beat picks up in the lead-up to the chorus, and then the chorus’ key-change makes it absolutely pop, as lead singer Josh Caterer’s voice delivers raw and tunefully cracking, as if he’s singing in anguish, “My heart is never really gonna break. It’s only gonna bleed a little while. I won’t be falling all the way apart. That’s not my style. You’re never going to have the satisfaction of knowing that you hurt me any more than I could take, ’cause my hear is never really gonna break.” Yeah, sure. It’s not entirely convincing, which is part of what makes it such a cool lyric. You can’t expect any better than this from a broken-heart rock song.

My other personal favorite is stylistically similar “Young and Dumb.” The sound is a bit more broad and open in the verses, and the guitars are steady. The post-chorus full-stop is well-executed. There’s a cool variety of complementary musical styles, with the broader more open sound that accompanies the verses standing in contrast to the more frantic, noisy, anarchic sound-filled backdrop that accompanies the main chorus phrase “always for someone else, never for us.” Tack on the rhythmic basswork and open space vocals repeating “oh to be young and dumb again” in what seems to be late song bridge but actually just bridges to the song’s close, and it’s a memorable song.

“Racine,” “To This Very Day,” “When the Sun Goes Down” – these are all also songs similar in style to most of the songs on the record, though each with their own variances (like the guitar squeal at the opening of “When the Sun Goes Down”) that are likely to make each of them other people’s personal faves. They’re great songs in their own right, but I’m gonna run out of descriptive phrases if I try to go track-by-track, so I won’t.

Tucked in near the middle of the album is “Madison,” the closest Smoking Popes come to pure, modern pop-punk on this record. The verses have a somewhat slower, more flowing tempo, but you may just find yourself pogoing to the song opening and the verses, so be sure to listen in a safe space… or a padded room, perhaps. There’s also some cool guitarwork in the song because you can’t be a rock band from the ’90s without giving your guitarist a chance to show off – fitting within the context of the song, natch – every now and then.

As the album nears its close, Smoking Popes shake things up. The penultimate track on Lovely Stuff, “You Will Always Have My Heart,” is a softly instrumented strummer, almost stylistically folk-rock, though you’d never mistake the rough rock ‘n roll edges of Caterer’s voice for those of a folk singer. As for the lyrics, if you learned only one thing from TV’s The Big Bang Theory, it should have been that “always” always makes it worse.

The band continues its detour from its types style on album-ender “Over the Rainbow.” Yes, it’s a raucous, noisy, distorted guitar rendition of the song Annie made famous. It’s crunchy, it’s rocking… it’s a surprisingly strong way to end an alt-rock record: “Why, oh why can’t I?!” That’s Lovely Stuff, indeed.

Album Review: Willie Nile – The Great Yellow Light

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image courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

Album Review of Willie Nile: The Great Yellow Light

My introduction to Willie Nile‘s music was a fortuitous accident. I was in New York, traveling for work, in the City with one day free in 1998, and one of my favorite artists, Lisa St. Ann, who I had reviewed and interviewed for Geoff Wilbur’s Renegade Newsletter, was playing at The Mercury Lounge. The other artist on the bill for the late afternoon show was Willie Nile. (I have always loved that you can catch amazing music from before dinner until early morning in the City. There is only one New York!) I mean, he’s Willie Nile – I’ve discovered what that means in the subsequent years – so obviously it was a great concert. A great double-bill. Interestingly, in part because I rarely seek out music because so much more is sent to me than I can possibly review, I haven’t had an opportunity to write about Willie again since wrote a short blurb of that show for GWRN… until now! And it’s been far too long. Before I share some more of my own words about Willie Nile, I’ll share one quote that I was able to find thanks to his promo material – New Yorker called Willie Nile “one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters of the past 30 years.” Well, they’re not wrong.

Willie’s newest album, The Great Yellow Light, his 21st long-playing (LP) recording, is brand spankin’ new – it was just released on June 20, 2025. No, I didn’t turn the review around this quickly. I’m always at least a couple months behind. In this case, I had an advance copy, so I’ve become very familiar with this record over dozens of listens, just as is generally the case with almost everything I review. I am, however, completely psyched to tell you how great this album is, and why you’ve gotta hear it! I know, that’s not exactly a spoiler alert, since I only review my favorite few percent of the music I receive (plus music some I proactively seek out) and, as a result, every review at the Blog is a recommendation.

Every song on this record is unique and original, so I’ll just share this thought – Willie Nile is a meticulous, versatile singer-songwriter and dynamic performer, and this shows throughout his latest album. So many of the songs on this record are energetic, catchy, guitar rock-era potential hits that’ll get you out of your seat. Now, let’s dive in; I’ll share my thoughts on my personal favorites.

photo by Cristina Arrigoni; photo courtesy of Howlin’ Wuelf Media

The record begins with “Wild Wild World,” an energetically raucous, fun rock ‘n roll number. Clever lyrics hint at social awareness, but Willie doesn’t go as deeply into the details as he does elsewhere on the record. Instead, it’s an entertaining song built upon a ’50s and ’60s style pre-psychedelic rock ‘n roll style but with more modern guitar rock energy and hint of lyrical nihilism.

“We Are, We Are” follows, with a Queen-reminiscent guitar opening that becomes an anthem with a singalongable chorus: “We’re young and strong – we are, we are! We’re righting wrongs – we are, we are!” This is the record’s “we can do it!” song, an important motivational listen for those wanting to tackles the social issues Nile mentions elsewhere on the album.

Mostly, though, this is simply a rock ‘n roll album with the occasional issue-driven song. For example, next up, “Electrify Me” is a straight-ahead raucous rocker that plugs a punk rock energy into a fun lyrics-and-guitars rock ‘n roll singer-songwriter song package, replete with a catchy rhythm and thumping beat.

“An Irish Goodbye” is a fun change-of-pace, obviously channeling a good Irish pub song stylistically a bit, but chock full of clever lyrical turns of phrase, channel phrases like “here’s fire in your whiskey, here’s mud in your eye” throughout the song. You’ll find yourself swaying along to the song, trying to memorize the words, and singing along with the parts you remember. Obviously, since the chorus repeats a few times, that’s what you learn first. The whole friggin’ song is fun, though. Also notable, it was recently dubbed “Coolest Song in the World This Week” per Little Steven’s Underground Garage. How cool is that?

You almost feel like the Irish swagger carries over into the vocal delivery on the title track, the steady, straight-ahead rock song “The Great Yellow Light.”

Willie picks up the energy again on rhythmic, almost hoedown-styled, bar-rocker “Tryin’ to Make a Livin’ in the U.S.A.” You know what you’re in for from the lyrics that kick off the first verse: “There’s nothing wrong with a hit record wouldn’t cure. The blues and the clap, yeah, they all can reoccur. But a song on the charts can do a lot of good. Why, I’d run buck-naked through my neighborhood.” It’s a fun romp about the difficulty of making a living as an artist – with some perhaps-exaggerated benefits of writing that elusive hit – that’ll be a quick favorite and leave a smile on your face.

“Fall On Me” is another straight-up mid-tempo rock song emotionally delivered that’ll connect with listeners going through rough times. The album then trends toward the hopeful – at least, that’s the way it plays for me – on “What Color Is Love,” a song that’ll leave a lump in your throat as you listen to Willie’s grizzled vocals, wondering if love will be recognizable.

The big protest song on the record is next, and it’s catchy as all. “Wake Up America” starts a little edgy, with a nervous tempo, including lyrics like “Wake up America. Red, white, and blue. You used to be great. What happened to you?” When the song reaches the first chorus, the music becomes richer and louder. Stylistically, it has a Mellencamp-ish feel. Or maybe, though stylistically quite different, it gives off that old Coca-Cola commercial vibe, with everyone holding hands singing “I’d like to teach the world to sing.” The song intensifies on the back half, with lyrics like “Wake up America. Do you know who I am? I’m one of the millions. Do you even give a damn. I’m the son of immigrants, I’m a daughter of slaves. I’m Native indigenous, stop digging my grave.” It’s a really hopeful song with a positive energy, despite lyrics that sometimes point out faults. The closing lyrics of “open your eyes, open your eyes” pleadingly offer the solution.

The song closes with a soaring, flowing number, “Washington’s Day,” that also touches upon social issues but stylistically feels uplifting, leaving the listener with a good, warm feeling after a listen to the complete record. And it’s a helluva record! An instant rock ‘n roll classic from longtime critically acclaimed rock troubadour Willie Nile.

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long into my writing career to review a Willie Nile record. Well, if you’re not familiar with him – or if you know of him but don’t yet own one of his records – The Great Yellow Light would be a great place to start. It’s a helluva disc! And if you’re already familiar with Willie Nile – which, I’m pretty sure, includes everyone within a 100 mile radius of New York, plus a whole lot of lucky people elsewhere – you just need to know this: Willie has a new album out. If you haven’t yet, be sure to get a copy of The Great Yellow Light. It won’t surprise you at all that this record kicks ass!

Looking Ahead

I feel lucky to have caught Willie Nile live once, but that was back in the 20th century, so I probably need to see him perform again. The “Shows” page of his website lists a smattering of shows on the east coast, in the middle of the country (MO, OK, TX), and one in Vancouver, BC, but nothing particularly close to me. I’ll keep an eye out for additions. And if you don’t spot anything near you at the moment, I’d suggest checking back periodically, too.

EP Review: Falsely Accused – Unbroken

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photo courtesy of Falsely Accused via Knyvet

EP Review of Falsely Accused: Unbroken

Unbroken is Falsely Accused‘s follow-up to 2021’s Compression, a sequel long in the making for Matt Tavano (lead vocals, bass), Mark Young (guitar, backup vocals), and Mike Azzolino (drums, percussion, backup vocals). Says Tavano, “It’s been three years since our last record and to say we’re excited to get our new music out into the world would be an understatement. We worked hard tocreate a record with new ideas, new sounds and concepts, not just rehashing the same sound from Compression. As we evolve, so must the music.”

Now, I haven’t listened to Compression, but on Unbroken, Falsely Accused’s music is distorted, guitar-driven, heavy rock with a wall of noise well-suited to fill medium-sized barrooms and small clubs with an electric energy, the kind that leaves gig attendees buzzing for hours afterward, looking forward to the next live performance.

artwork by Matt Tavano; image courtesy of Falsely Accused via Knyvet

Opening cut “A Drink Before the War” was the first single, released last fall in advance of the EP, and it’s the track with the biggest hook, most likely to be radio fodder on an alt-leaning hard rock station – or a heavy-leaning alt-rock station. If listeners are going to choose just one song to add to a multi-genre playlist, this is probably the song with the broadest appeal. With varied vocals and chord progressions that lead the listener from point to point, it’s a well-constructed, memorable number.

For a little variety, there’s kind of a western vibe – open-spaces, though not country – in the tone of song number four, “Drifting.” It’s a little bit of a jam-band type of song, so the structure may not carry the mainstream appeal that the sound does. However, if you’re attending a gig with someone who’s not as into heavy music, “Drifting” is about song for which they’re most likely to comment, “Oh, I like this one.”

The remaining three songs on the EP are less likely to be singled out by casual listeners but are probably more important to establishing Falsely Accused’s heavy, distorted, wall-of-sound persona, the type that provides the overall vibe of a beginning-to-end listen and the aura of a memorable, cohesive live performance.

“Castaway” has a heavy, rhythmic, steady but slow, foreboding, heavy rock tempo and a little ragged, near-psychedelic late-song guitar bridge. This is a song perfectly-suited to an electric, audience-enthralling live performance, particularly the new-rock axe noodling that closes the song.

“Witches” is a dense, heavy number that recalls ’70s classic heavy metal, though again some of the axework, while referencing that time period, utilizes somewhat more modern garage rock riff patterns.

And EP-closing song “Soul Crush” is a seven-plus minute, long-form epic rock ‘n roll number that is perhaps the most ’70s-recollecting AOR song on the EP, structurally, at least, and perhaps also in the distorted elements of the guitarwork. While the guitar runs are timeless, some of the rhythms deployed that hold the song together are more modern heavy rock-flavored. Still, black light posters and lava lamps wouldn’t be entirely out of place when listening to the collection’s closing number, particularly if you’re sitting in a bean bag. It’s a cool, updated, ode to rock history, while still fitting well into the staticky wall-of-noise aura Falsely Accused has cultivated on Unbroken.

Looking Ahead

In case you hadn’t noticed, in addition to “check out this EP,” my other recommendation is “get thee to a live show”! Well, the “Shows” page of the band’s website doesn’t list any upcoming performances, but I’m gonna keep checking back. I’ll also follow the band’s socials to remain abreast of upcoming events. You’ll find all of those links – and others – on the band’s linktree.

Album Review: Greg Nagy – The Real You

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photo by Marilyn Stringer; photo courtesy of Greg Nagy

Album Review of Greg Nagy: The Real You

If you’ve been reading this blog for a long while – or if you live in Michigan – you know Greg Nagy is one of Michigan’s best bluesmen. (I reviewed his album Stranded in 2016.) Well, I hate to spoil the suspense in the first paragraph, but he’s only getting better, if that’s possible.

Greg Nagy’s voice and guitarwork form a style that’s uniquely his own. It’s a familiar mix of old-school blues, soul, smoother R&B, and even at times a hint of a modern big band-inspired pop sound, all in an identifiably unique combination. You know, probably a lot of that is the vocals – smooth but not too smooth, rich but not particularly deep, deploying phrasing that can be emotionally piercing, and a just slightly uniquely original tone. Sure, at his musical core, Nagy’s a bluesman’s bluesman, but the other elements in his music open it up to potentially appeal to a broad audience, obviously on some songs more than others.

The Real You is Nagy’s fourth album. It contains a mix of blues classics, Nagy originals, and inspired covers with arrangements and delivery styles that help Nagy make them all his own.

image courtesy of Greg Nagy

The album kicks off with a Nagy original, the title track, a smooth, soft blues ballad. Or near-ballad, at least. The horns, which add both depth and emphasis, are sometimes more enthusiastic than in a typical ballad, though they’re also responsible for moments in this song that hint at a big band influence – very cool. But yeah, you can slow dance to it, so it’s a ballad. Maybe at a wedding reception, for example, with lyrics like “I want to know the real you. I want to share the real me, too,” and especially with the uplifting vocal delivery Nagy employs on the song.

Track number two is one of the two old-school blues covers on the record. For “Mississippi Blues,” a modestly-paced number, Nagy relies on the grittier edge of his vocal range, pulling the anguish out of the lyric. He’s joined on this song by Ray Goodman on dobro and Peter Mudcat Ruth on harmonica. Indeed, the harp plays an important part in the feel of the song, particularly riffing off of the vocal line.

Jumping ahead to track five, the other old-school blues cover – and actually, it’s an old-school soul number – is “Come to Poppa.” Most familiar to those of us with Michigan roots as a Bob Seger tune, I investigated the song’s variants and discovered that Nagy’s rendition is a much closer match to Ann Peebles’ original recording of it, “Come to Mama.” Of course, Nagy’s rendition is more modernized, and the bass beat thumps a bit more as a good blues-rock number naturally would, though the pace is more that of a mid-tempo blues crooner.

Another cover worth noting is the very theater stage-styled, slow-blues-drenched rendition of the Beatles’ “Something.” It’s performed as a duet with Detroit’s Queen of the Blues, Thornetta Davis (whose Honest Woman album was reviewed here at the Blog by Detroit-based contributor Eric Harabadian, back in 2018). Before I return to Nagy’s originals, I want to comment on the two remaining covers, “Crazy” and “The Joke.”

Personally, while I absolutely love the Gnarls Barkley original, I think Nagy’s version of “Crazy” is an upgrade, at least for those of us with a particular fondness for mainstream-leaning blues and blues-rock. With a warm vocal tone in the verses, pleading vocal edge in the chorus, and varied phrasing, punching the right syllables while delivering some of the lighter lyrics wryly, Nagy pitches a perfect game with his vocals. Meanwhile, the music bed is rich and full, almost orchestral at times, with organ carrying some of its bridges and verses, delivering a memorable blues-infused, soft-rocking result that’s my pick for most likely to appeal to mainstream radio listeners.

photo by Wahwah Whitus; photo courtesy of Greg Nagy

If I’m wrong about that statement, it’s because the closing number on the record, “The Joke,” has broad appeal, too. It’s a brave and welcome choice for Nagy, putting his own spin on the Brandi Carlisle number that represents those who don’t fit the molds of modern society. It’s a song for the marginalized, the misfits, the underrepresented. The arrangement is rich and powerful, getting fuller and fueled by guitarwork that builds to power in key emotional sections. The arrangement – and Nagy’s vocal – will give you chills and leave a lump in your throat when he reaches the climactic vocal, “I have been to the movie. I’ve seen how it ends. The joke’s on them.” I’d still suggest “Crazy” as the more likely radio hit because “The Joke” is 5-and-a-half minutes long, and the opening is a little slow – effectively so, but we’re talking radio-friendliness here, not just quality. This is, however, almost certainly the most powerful song on this record. A great way to end the album.

However, if you’re a blues fan, you’re maybe more likely to like one of Nagy’s originals. In particular, “You Were Never Mine,” featuring top-shelf bluesman Larry McCray on guitar. And there are some filthy guitar riffs, indeed, on this tune, at times wailing in accompaniment with the smoothly-sung pain in Nagy’s vocals, particularly during the title lyric.

“What Took Your Love” comes later in the disc but has a mid-tempo blues-rock vibe, perhaps a touch more blues-rock than blues when compared with “You Were Never Mine,” at least in the guitar riffs.

“Where Do We,” with Bobby Murray handling the lead axework, is a straight-ahead, modestly-tempoed, thump-along, rockin’ blues number, for which Nagy utilizes his deeper, rougher-hewn, lean-into-the-blues vocal style.

Ballad “All I Need (Is You)” is lightly-instrumented, with a raw, live, man-and-his-guitar singer-songwriter feel, giving it an emotional honesty. It’s actually the record’s penultimate track, with its uncomplicated production flowing nicely into the soft, emotional opening of “The Joke.”

Finally, if you dig instrumental blues, as I do – it’s always nice to have one really good one on a blues record – “Cornell Ala King” is a nifty vocal-less entry. I found a recording of this song from 2010 on YouTube, so Nagy has been playing (and perfecting) this song for a while, and it shows! Guitar, organ, and horns all get their own opportunities to drive the song forward, resulting in an entertaining number with structured dynamics that would have made vocals unnecessary and redundant. Just kick back and enjoy, though the song isn’t particularly long, so it’s over almost before you know it.

In total, The Real You is an instant classic from the reliably exceptional Greg Nagy. It contains five potential crossover hits for mainstream music fans – two of the record’s five covers (“Crazy” and “The Joke”) and three of its six originals (“The Real You,” “You Were Never Mine,” and “What Took Your Love From Me”). At the same time, edging beyond the mainstream, “Where Do We” is likely to be a new favorite among blues and blues-rock fans. And the rest of the disc is a great listen, as well, even if I’m not predicting strong radio interest in the remaining tracks; they’re excellent songs that are ideal fits for the album. If you’re a blues fan, you should be waiting in line outside the record store on the release date (metaphorically) for each new Greg Nagy release. Rock and mainstream music fans, also, though, should give this record a listen, as there’s something here for everyone.

Looking Ahead

Greg has plenty of upcoming shows listed on the “Gigs” page of his website. All of his listed dates at the moment are from coast to coast in Michigan, except for one. On July 5th, my California readers can catch the Greg Nagy Band at the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma. This is a rare opportunity, so get yourselves to wine country and don’t miss it!

Album Review: Rick Pierce Group – Brick By Brick

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photo courtesy of BJF Media

Album Review of Rick Pierce Group: Brick By Brick (Golden Robot Records)

Brick By Brick is the debut album of the Rick Pierce Group. The band is comprised of guitarist Rick Pierce (guitar), Chris James (vocals), Izzy Rehaume (bass), and Frankie Rongo (drums). Brick By Brick was produced by Floyd Rose, notable in part because Pierce and Rose were two of the co-founding members of Seattle rock supergroup Q5 in 1983.

Brick By Brick is a hard rock album, heavy enough to be dubbed metal in some circles, likely to be able to keep up with similarly-style classic hard rocking bands like Judas Priest. From the very beginning of the very first song, the rock guitars are impressive, and you can identify the songs’ tunefulness, and James’ voice is melodically capable but with a slightly rough edge ideal for this brand of classic heavy rock. A couple songs stand out, but so many of the hooks are subtle. It takes a few listens to unlock some of them. If you love an album that starts strong and grows on you more and more with each listen, Brick By Brick is an album you’ll dig.

Album-opener “Tick Tock” kicks off with a thumping beat and aggressive guitar riffs, but James’ intense but expressive voice and the finesse in Pierce’s axework (including an occasionally recurring guitar riff that niftily soars and circles back on itself and serves as one of this song’s hooks) broaden the appeal of “Tick Tock” to all guitar rock fans. This is true of just about every song on Brick by Brick to varying degrees. In fact, the very next song, title track “Brick By Brick,” deploys a similar tactic.

image courtesy of BJF Media

Most of the songs can be described similarly as guitar driven heavy rock songs, with guitar riffs either subtle or more apparent that serve as unique hooks from song to song, occasionally varied hard rock/classic metal rhythms, and melodic heavy rock vocals. The songs are differentiated by vocal or guitar nuances, so you’ll have your own favorites, but they’re stylistically very cohesive.

In addition to “Tick Tock,” my other personal favorites on Brick by Brick are songs that add nuances to the style that appeal to my particular musical taste. For example, “Only” varies the formula slightly, with opening riffs that at least slightly bring to mind “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” and a memorably heavy, tuneful “ohh, ohh, ohh” – deeply sung and very metal but still varied enough from what you’d typically hear in heavy rock songs that it’s attention grabbing.

“Remember the Bataclan,” meanwhile, takes a slower, more steady pace than most of the other tracks, plodding forward at a pace that fits in well with the hypnotic, rhythmic chant – unique to this song – that’s the sort of thing you might expect from a hard rock band. The closest I can think of is the chanting in Savatage’s “Morphine Child,” but on this song it’s more rhythmic and tuneful and follows along with the song’s rhythmic drum beat. It’s just – to repeat myself – hypnotic.

“Can You Feel It” is a pretty straight-ahead classic hard rocker but with some attention-grabbing guitar flourishes. “Love Hate” is a more plodding, rhythm-driven heavy rocker with the vocal abruptness used when singing the title lyrics, “love, hate,” intentionally obtrusive to drive home the song’s point; plus, it has a neat little 15-second run of blistering axework about two-thirds of the way through the song that serves as a bridge.

Album-ender “A Storm Is Coming” adding a slight blues-rock tint to the band’s power-rock formula. The guitarwork and drums work together to build an ominous musical backdrop for James’ vocals, which have an almost Southern rock-blues edge to them that matches the supporting music. The song is also an ideal album-ending song because it ends with nearly two minutes of drum-supporting guitarwork sans vocals, and that’s always a cool way to end a guitar-driven rock album, particularly when it offers a showcase for an axeman like Pierce.

Brick by Brick is an album all classic rock and classic metal fans should spin a few times. Whether you’re listening for the exceptional guitarwork, the power rock vocals, or the heavy rock vibe in general, you’ll enjoy this record. And as the hooks begin to dig into your brain, you’ll develop a couple of clear favorite songs – for me, they’d be “Tick Tock” and “Only,” and sometimes “Remember the Bataclan.” (Depending upon my mood, I’m either more or less psyched about the chanting.)

One of the better ways to keep up with the Rick Pierce Group’s latest news appears to be via the band’s Facebook page.

EP Review: Huddy – Love Bites

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photo by Ben Prince; photo courtesy of The Orchard

EP Review: Huddy – Love Bites

As I was digging through some of the music I was sent last year during my 9-month hiatus from writing, I uncovered a few gems. Huddy‘s EP Love Bites was one of them. It’s 4 songs of guitar-based power pop, radio-friendly and a little rockin’. Catchy, with crunchy hooks and full of attitude. So upon giving this EP a quick listen, I added it to my review queue, undeterred by the fact that this record dropped a full year ago. This is an EP you need to know about, regardless of your usual favorite genre, especially if you have any mainstream-leaning tendencies.

image courtesy of The Orchard

As I prepped for this review, I dug into the background of Huddy (Chase Hudson) and discovered the dude’s already a pretty big deal. Yeah, the songs from this EP didn’t chart – they definitely should have! – but he already has quite a resumé. Before I get to the music, I’ll rattle off some accolades: 2021 iHeart Radio Music Awards nominee in the Social Star category, listed in Billboard‘s 21 under 21 list in 2021, one of Forbes‘ 30 under 30 in 2022. I don’t usually mention social media numbers, but Huddy has 30.4 million TikTok followers. He costarred with Sydney Sweeney in Downfalls High in 2021. And he was in the cast of Netflix’s Hype House in 2022. I know I usually get straight to the music in my reviews, but this is an impressive background, and I’ve gotta say, based on the songs on this EP, Huddy has the singing chops to back up the hype.

The first song on this EP, “Mugshot,” is an energetic, build-to-power pop rock song with a monster hook. There’s a cool little raw vocal effect during the lead-in to the chorus you might note. Moreso, though, there’s a fast-beat rhythm through the verses that carry the song forward much like some ’90s pop-punk faves might have, but “Mugshot” has some crunchier guitar licks. As for rockers young and remember-when-you-were-young, you’ll relate to the girls-like-the-bad-boy opening line of the chorus, “She’s in love with the boy in the mugshot.” Oh, and if you tend to listen for axework in your favorite tunes, don’t sleep on the brief, wailing solo about two-thirds of the way through.

photo by Phil Chester & Sara Byrne; photo courtesy of The Orchard

“Worst Way” leans more into the power-pop subgenre of rock ‘n roll, leaning more into its drumbeat and rhythm with a more pop-rock vocal delivery, not significantly unlike some of the more rockin’ Jonas Brothers songs (which, to be fair, is a lot more of their songs than rock ‘n roll purists may want to admit – personally, I love me some good pop-rock). I know the opening reminds me of another hit song (who else hears it? which chart-topper is that?) before it drops into the rhythm. Huddy’s vocals lead the listener on a slightly hypnotic journey in the verses leading up to the chorus, which absolutely pops. The song uses a slight near-pause, with most of the instrumentation briefly dropping out, heading in and out of the chorus in a very effective attention grab and re-grab. This might be the most likely to grab the attention of the pop radio audience, though this whole EP is radio-friendly, so not by much.

In fact, if I’m wrong about that, it’ll probably be because the next song, “Love Bites,” has a bigger, more in-your-face pop rhythm, and Huddy’s voice is smoothly dreamier in the verses but more aggressive in the “l-l-love bites” chorus. It’s the sort of song you’d be jumping around to on a party dance floor. Or around your living room floor, if it’s a house party. Regardless, the song gives off serious dance club vibes, replete with a few NSFW lyrics, though it’s the sort of club song you’d also blast from your stereo.

photo by Phil Chester & Sara Byrne; photo courtesy of The Orchard

The fourth song, “21,” returns to a full-on rock vibe, with distorted alt-rock guitar kicking things off. The chorus sports a crisper, clearer sound, though with still a lot of a wall-of-sound backdrop. As the song opens up when the chorus kicks in, a crisp rock drumbeat takes over from the distorted axework to drive the song’s enthusiastic, almost anthemic tempo. The song’s creative breakdown about two-thirds of the way through helps break things up – a brief, thumping, danceclub breakout that seems to try to make the song feel like a party, and quite successfully, actually – before the song power-pop-rocks its way to its close.

Though just four tracks, Huddy’s Love Bites EP provides a power pop-rock persona and shows a bit of the singer’s musical versatility. That’s important if an artist wants longevity, since it shows his talent isn’t wedded to a specific “sound.” It’s an exceptional collection, especially as an initial introduction to Huddy.

With apologies to the talented Mr. Hudson for being a little late to the party, I’m sure this music will be new to a lot of my regular readers who may not pursue the latest “hot” acts but are into good, old-school rock ‘n roll, including when it’s bright, shiny, and filled with pop-ready hooks like the songs on Love Bites. Give Huddy a listen. This is a talented artist you really need to hear.

More Recently

Huddy played Lollapalooza in 2024, and in this Instagram post commemorating his performance, he plugged an upcoming album in 2025. I hope that’s coming because, after hearing this EP, I can’t wait for a full album of new tunes from this guy!

Musically, since Love Bites, Huddy has released a pair of additional singles, “Addicted to You” and “Cyanide.”

You can catch Huddy on the road this summer as part of the Summer School Tour with Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Rain City Drive, Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, and Beauty School Dropout.

Album Review: Simon Scardanelli – Underneath the Singing Tree

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live performance photo of Simon Scardanelli with guitar and Sophie Caudin with accordion

photo by Jacque Rolland; photo courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

by James Morris, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Simon Scardanelli: Underneath The Singing Tree

CD and Streaming Release Date: 16th June 2025

We have had to wait along time for a new album from Simon Scardanelli. It’s been six long years since 2019’s The Rock, The Sea, The Rising Tide. The world was a different place back then, pre-COVID and all that. Since 2019, he has released several singles and most probably spent those lockdown years finding old projects to release and things to work on, like many of us did, to pass the time.

I know for a fact Simon has been working hard on a number of musical creations alongside this new album release. A folk opera is somewhere in the mix, another album maybe, this time with his live performing collaborator Sophie and who knows what else, all bubbling away on his musical hard drives. All that, whilst ramping up the number of his live shows around France as well. Busy busy!

Simon Scardanelli – Underneath the Singing Tree album cover

image courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

So what about the new album? That’s why we’re here right?

OK, let’s get to it, I mean, after six years you must be keen to find out what he has in store for us this time. You have nothing to fear, just open your ears and prepare for a truly wonderful musical experience.

It may seem a bit simplistic, but firstly the running order of the songs is perfect. The tracks guide you through the audio journey very nicely indeed. In a world of streaming and shuffle mode, the art of sequencing songs on an album may seem a bit forgotten, but it is refreshing to listen to a well-ordered album the way the artist intended you to.

So it is an effortless listening experience made so by the crafting of the composer. Everything in the right place with variety and consideration designed to entertain.

Sonically, the whole album sparkles beautifully and is easily up to Simon’s usual excellent production standards. Crafted, lovingly and painstakingly put together. Every note, every space, every word, all must have a meaning and a reason to be there. Simon always excels at his production values, and I absolutely love the way that everything here has its own space and air to breathe and shine.

Simon Scardanelli

photo by Alain Marie; photo courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

So the mix and instrumentation is perfect for each of the songs but also his voice is so strong and ageless. I have listened to all his albums through the years, going back to Big Bam Boo in the late 1980s and even his pre-pop incarnations from the late ’70s and early ’80s. Simon’s voice is stronger now than those early outings and equal to anything else he has released in the last 30 years. It is with timeless ease that he reaches each note in every song and creates unusual and thoughtful harmonies. No room for clichés with Simon.

That follows through in both the music he composes and in the lyrics that he writes. His words, as always, defy cliché and weave an imagery and a storytelling of such interest that it leaves you wondering what sort of strange events could have inspired these songs. Love is certainly one large element on show here, or maybe a doomed love, possibly a stronger emotion that an artist can draw inspiration from.

You must discover these songs yourself. Let each one unfold and delight you. I was lucky enough to hear some of these songs at a small live show. They were new to me amongst Simon’s classic back catalogue. Songs, such as the playfully sombre “Five Seconds Ago Last Year,” reached out and grabbed me. I am so glad to have it on the new album, alongside the other new and enchanting songs. There is the resigned, “Here We Go Again” and the uplifting, “Let’s Go Dancing.” Listen to “Heart Upon My Fretboard” and revel in the simile of a songwriter’s vulnerability brought to bear on the neck of his guitar on which he bares his soul. Then there is the mysterious title track, “Underneath The Singing Tree,” which paints a picture of that aforementioned doomed affair in the magical forests of Huelgoat in Brittany, France.

Simon Scardanelli

photo courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

The song “Battle Ships,” destined for Simon’s other ongoing musical project, the folk opera La Mer, has been included in advance on this album. A firm new live show favourite, it has muscled its way onto the album on the back of its audience popularity and its overwhelming majesty. Driven by a forceful ukulele, this song shows Simon’s versatility in switching between instruments to create a broad and exciting musical landscape.

One song which may be familiar to fans of his work is “Glittering Prize.” Originally recorded during the Make Us Happy sessions in 2015, it then found itself a release as a single in 2021 (one of those lockdown projects, no doubt). Its inclusion on the new album finds it seamlessly slotting in with the other tracks. A reworking of the song, with new vocals and an enhanced mix, has elevated it beyond the original single version and will impress any who have heard it before and equally delight new listeners.

I haven’t discussed each and every one of the songs on the album, that is for you to discover, as I said earlier. However I hope that I have given you a flavour of the excellence that runs through the whole release.

This is Simon’s best album since the eternal Make Us Happy and is a great job, very well done. So many outstanding tracks make this album a resounding success and worth every minute of the wait. (3,038,400 of them, but who’s counting!) Now how long till the next album, Simon?

Album Review: Dekel – Starlings

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image courtesy of Dog Ranch Music PR

Album Review of Dekel: Starlings

Israeli singer-songwriter Dekel has delivered, in Starlings, an album with catchy, pop-accessible singer-songwriter fare with rich musical backdrops, with a lot of the flowing sounds often – though not always – owing their flowing nature to string arrangements and, it seems, accordion. Stylistically, it might remind you of Tori Amos with more folk leanings. Dekel’s press materials’ “for fans of” suggestions also mention Beirut, Joni Mitchell, Regina Spektor, and Keren Ann, and as much as I prefer to come up with my own comparisons, that’s a much better triangulation than I was ending up with on my own. I will add that, vocally, Dekel’s singing reminds me, in places, of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s on her Familia album, which I reviewed several years ago. Specifically, the shape and roundness of some of the vocals, particularly on certain vowels.

Dekel’s music is catchy and fun to listen to, but as I don’t typically dig deeply into the indie folk-pop genre. Even moreso, the unique sounds on this record, which – and thankfully I have press material to lean on here – include “an abundance of Eastern European sounds with Jewish Ashkenazi melodies” mixes in with the pop-folk and layered production I’m more familiar with. What really stands out about this album for me are how catchy the songs are – as in, crossover to popular music fans kinda catchy. Starlings is, at its core, a song-driven pop music album whose rich sound is unique because of the musical palate in which Dekel works.

photo by Shahar Hilla; photo courtesy of Dog Ranch Music PR

The opening song “Starlings” starts things off cheerily, with Dekel’s vocal cadence adding a quirkiness that gains your attention atop a rich music bed. “Season to Season” is similar but with a different tempo and strumming pattern, plus some uneasiness guided both by the music and an edgy tone in Dekel’s vocals, though toward the end the mood lightens as if the new “season” includes rebirth.

Next up, “Black Cat” is one of my favorites on this record. It’s light with a playful tempo and accordion-playing that bring to mind gypsy music, at least based on the old black and white movies that serve as my entire understanding of what gypsy music sounds like. But yeah, it’s playful and fun.

The playfulness continues on the next song, “So Much Logic,” a song you’ll find yourself swaying to pretty quickly. It’s such a fun song that I constantly have the urge to sing along with the chorus, though I can’t keep from getting tonguetied on the lyrics: “So much logic has left me, no answer. I said, so much logic has left me, no answer. So I walk in the fields. Dip me in the sea. Burn in the sun.”

Dekel continues with “The Frog Prince,” a mostly-soaring song (with some cool, brief instrumental mood changes placed as necessary to drive the song and its story forward) that verbally and musically creates brilliant imagery, centering around idea that “every prince I kiss turns [turned] into a frog.”

“Sing With Me Sisters” is musically playful and vocally soulful with dramatic strings entering abruptly each time the chorus begins, providing lively, deep support until the next verse.

“I Know I Will” has a kind of frantic feeling, especially following a smooth song like “Sing With Me Sisters.” “I Know I Will” has a nervous energy about it. The thought  central to the song’s tension is “I know I will ’cause I finally understand who I am.” The anxiousness isn’t fear; rather, it’s an uneasy but confident rebirth. Oh, and there’s some cool fiddlework to close the song that those of us with mainstream musical experiences will most easily be able to compare with the violin playing in Fiddler on the Roof. I’m sure I’m using a horrifyingly simplistic comparison, but that’s what I have. “Meet Me Halfway” follows, also with an uneasy tempo but with a pleasant overall tone. And man, I wish I had some album credits for this to figure out precisely which instrument is playfully meandering through the arrangement, but it is very cool.

“My Song” is a very personal song for Dekel. The opening accordion sounds like music you might expect from the opening scene-setting scenes of a sixties movie, maybe starting Audrey Hepburn, set in southern Europe. Somewhere with cobblestone streets and hills. Probably Italy, right? Maybe Monaco. Possibly Greece. Somewhere along the Mediterranean coast, that’s for sure. Given Dekel’s background, I know I’m several countries away from the actual instrumental influences, but you know, that’s where the movies the music brings to mind would have been set. The theme of this inward-facing song for Dekel is the lyric “It’s not enough. It’s not enough. But my strong is all I had to keep me strong.” It is, indeed, her song.

Finally, the record closes with “Borrowed From the Soul,” is a jazzy, soulful, slightly folky pop song straight out of the ’60s or ’70s, in more stylish circles, something you might hear in the soundtrack of a James Bond movie or any movie scene where people are gathered at a party, not dancing but standing around holding martinis. I included the adjective “folky” because there’s a hint of a Judy Collins or Joni Mitchell vibe in there, too, especially in the verses, but the chorus is echoingly sophisticated, stylish, and cool.

I didn’t know quite what to expect from this album when I first listened to it, as indie world folk music isn’t anywhere near an area of strength for me. But even if I had known what to expect, this wouldn’t have been it. Sure, there a variety of influences that’ll be unfamiliar to American pop music ears. (I’m raising my hand here.) But the songs are personal and on universal topics, delivered with a very pop sensibility, regardless of the regional or historical origins of some of the instrumentation and melodies. Several of the songs on this record are simply pop songs with a potential for mainstream appeal. My recommendation is to give this album a listen and choose a few favorite songs, then work out from there. The favorite songs will be easy to find.

EP Review: Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners – Before the Fall

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photo by Monica Sager; photo courtesy of Knyvet

EP Review of Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners: Before the Fall

If Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners were a movie, their program guide listing would be: “Really good, powerful, jangly Americana with accordion.” That’s it. Heck, that’s my review. Not enough? Yeah, you’re probably right. This is a terrific EP, so if you’re willing to stick with me and not check out the music until after you’ve read a few more paragraphs, I’ll keep going.

OK, maybe just click through and start playing “White Russian,” then come back and read while you listen. Who am I kidding? You can’t pay attention to anything else while you’re listening to “White Russian”! The EP-opening track is a raucous, accordion-fueled, rhythmic audio circus that’ll have you singing “la da da da da white Russian!” by the end of the first time you hear the phrase. It’s infectious. It took me several days to realize there was more than one song on this EP because I just kept replaying “White Russian.” It’s a fun, exhausting, energetic romp.

image courtesy of Knyvet

It’s followed by “Quarter-Life Crisis,” which I’d love to tell you about, but I don’t have any adjectives left. Actually, I do, mostly because this song requires an entirely different set of descriptors than its predecessor. It’s slower Americana. Mostly. It’s an introspective number, as you’d probably guess a song called “Quarter-Life Crisis” might be. The song sways gently for the most part early on, but the vocals reach a pain-releasing wail in sections of the chorus, and then the song builds in power and noise-level as it progresses. This is what Americana music would sound like if it came out of ’90s Athens, Georgia. But without the twang, of course, ’cause Kier & company are Yankees. Probably Red Sox, actually, since they’re New Englanders, but in Athens, we’d all be carpetbaggers.

“When the Money’s All Gone” has an almost Gypsy-esque accordion part (even more Gypsy-esque than accordion music ordinarily is), and it shares some good folky advice, with the chorus delivering these wise words: “You say that you love me, I tell you you’re wrong. I’ll know that you love me when money is all gone.” This track has a bit of an Irish drinking song feel, particularly as it begins to drift more into singalong territory with words that are easy to remember after several drinks – “la da da da da da” – and seems to carry an undercurrent of the idea that things are not going to end well, but hey, let’s all keep drinking and singing.

image courtesy of Knyvet

“Train’s Off the Rails,” next, starts slow and picks up speed. Like a runaway train, you might say. The kind of sidewinding, janky rhythms and carnival barker-ish vocal delivery recall a couple of my favorite Los Goutos songs. As you get past the midpoint, the vocals and accordion seem to compete to see which can pick up the tempo the fastest, but it’s really the guitar solo that ups the ante because nothing’s as fast as a shredding guitar part. Oh, the vocals return and try, but just as things are about to spiral off the rails – to extend the train metaphor – the brakeman apparently steps in, and you can hear the song and the vocals crawl before stopping.

“Hurting or Helping” is another raucous, fast-tempoed Americana number that looks internally, thinking about the relative merits of pursuing money versus more selfless or creative endeavors. However, relatively early on, the lyrics say, “so I asked my dear ol’ pal, ChatGPT, to finish writing this here verse of the song for me.” That gave me an idea, so I asked ChatGPT to “Write a 50-word review of the Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners’ song ‘Hurting or Helping,'” and it came up a not-so-accurate description that you wouldn’t realize was inaccurate unless you actually listened to the song. It also used a helluva lot more than 50 words. And it threw in a couple em-dashes without a space before or after, so I guess what I’d heard about the em-dashes is true. Personally, I tend to use a lot of en-dashes, and I like to place spaces before and after them, so I guess that’s two data points that suggest I am not a robot, just in case you were wondering, something that might be up for debate if you’ve ever seen me try to select all the squares with streetlights in them. As for “Hurting or Helping,” it’s a fun, bar-rattling number not extremely unlike “Train’s Off the Rails” but not nearly as out-0f-control-seeming.

“Dark Eyes” is a lively, guitar-pickin’-driven number the likes of which you might expect the Three Amigos to dance to while the bad guys are shooting at their feet. And that accordion kind of oompas like it’s working a polka, particularly mid-song. Sometimes, also, it sounds a little like a sped-up version of that song from Dr. Zhivago; you know, in a really cool way.

After listening to this six-song EP… well, first after the almost-frantic tempos of some of the songs, you’ll want to thank the band for stopping after six songs so you can catch your breath. Then you’ll probably start from song one again. And you’ll look to see when you can catch a live show because if it’s anything like this EP, it’ll blow the doors off. The band plays all over New England. Just look for the venues that have lost their doors, and you’ll know Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners are there. Either that, or check the “calendar” page on the band’s website. Of interest to readers in Belgium and the Netherlands – and I’ve reviewed Belgian and Dutch blues artists already this year, so hopefully you’re still reading the blog – 2024 New England Music Awards Americana Act of the Year Kier Byrnes & the Kettle Burners will be touring your fair countries from July 3rd to July 13th, so check out their concert calendar to see when they’ll be near you, and have a rollicking time!

Album Review: Shannon Curtis – 80s Kids

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photo by Nancy Schoeggl; photo courtesy of Saint Cloud Records

Album Review of Shannon Curtis: 80s Kids

I first encountered Shannon Curtis‘ music more than a decade ago. I have on my computer a 2014 Sampler EP, which I assume I received when I signed up for her mailing list way back then. A song from that sampler, “Paris Can’t Have You,” remains one of my favorites, a song you’ll see pop up on my “#PhoneOnShuffle playlist” from time to time on X or Threads. Of course, the sampler was dated 2014; the song itself was the title track of Shannon’s 2008 EP. So this was one of the artists I had started listening to in the run-up to returning to music journalism by launching this blog in 2015, specifically to share all of the great artists I had started listening to in the preceding couple of years. Well, it has taken some time, but I’m finally letting you know what kind of cool music you’re missing out on if you haven’t yet discovered Shannon Curtis.

Another thing about Shannon is that she puts together massive house concert tours. So did I get out and cover one of her house concerts? No. Did I get out to catch an 80s Kids tour concert in a non-house venue? No. Did I review any of her original albums, EPs, or singles? No, I’m reviewing an album of covers. Mostly, it’s just because this is her current album, and I was paying enough attention to get ahold of it and review it. However, this is also a very special album. Ten of the 1980s hits – songs we all know if we grew up in the ’80s – meticulously recreated by someone who clearly loves these songs and that decade as much as we do – or, and I love this turn-of-phrase – carefully recomposed by “synthpop spouses Shannon Curtis and Jamie Hill.” “Synthpop spouses”? Is it just me, or is that clever af? Yeah, that’s a phrase used in the liner notes at the 80s Kids Bandcamp page. Regardless, the biggest difference between these versions and the originals is simply that it’s clearly Shannon Curtis’ voice. And the vocals are so good because she’s singing in an octave appropriate to her voice (and/or she selected songs with that in mind). Also, the synth-driven performances are missing any small guitar parts. But the attention to musical detail means you wouldn’t even notice most of the differences unless you were playing the originals side-by-side. And the pacing, the vocal intonations and phrasing… they’re impeccable.

Shannon kicks off 80s Kids with “Wouldn’t It Be Good,” the Nik Kershaw classic. Shannon dispenses with the song’s extended intro – DJs would’ve been talking over that anyway back in the day; she starts right about where I remember the music kicking in anyway. For this song, I actually watched the original on YouTube, and if anything, Shannon’s version sounds more like the way I remember the song in the first place, so that’s an obvious win.

Next up are detailed covers of The Cars’ “Drive” and A-ha’s “Take On Me” – because “Take On Me” is an absolute necessity for an ’80s synthpop cover album, and Shannon and Jamie do a fantastic job with it! Also, I’m sure she sings some of the lyrics more clearly than the Norwegian A-ha; it’s fun to realize “oh, that’s what that lyric was!”

If there’s one thing about the ’80s, it’s that we all had a lot of crossover music knowledge thanks to both top 40 radio and MTV. For example, that’s why an old rocker like me knows so much pop, R&B, country, and other genres’ music from that time period. So it’s not surprising to find a rock singer’s song on this disc, especially since even rock singers like Don Henley deployed synth sounds in the ’80s. Yes, Don Henley’s synth-heavy dance-rock number “The Boys of Summer” is the first of two rockers’ tunes on this disc. Eagles fans should skip the next sentence. I think I might like this version as much as the original.

After a really cool version of Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” with meticulous attention to musical detail, Alphaville’s “Forever Young” is the next song to get the Shannon Curtis treatment, the song with the lyric “are you gonna drop the bomb or not?” Looking at the album cover, it looks like it may have been dropped on Vegas. Which 80s Kids version is most likely to replace the original on my ’80s playlist? Probably this one, in part because Shannon vocals are simply more powerful in the booming late-song build-up than the original’s.

I didn’t realize Erasure’s “A Little Respect” came so late in the ’80s. In retrospect, it does have a richer synth sound than some of the earlier ’80s songs in that genre. Anyway, it’s here in all its bouncy danceableness.

Song number eight, next, is the most rockin’est song in the collection, as Shannon tackles Bruce Springsteen. Probably his most danceclub-ready song, “Dancing in the Dark.” The song that brought us Courteney Cox, who we ’80s kids reconnected with in our young adulthood in the ’90s when she became one of our F•R•I•E•N•D•S. As far as the song goes, Shannon’s voice isn’t as gruff as the Boss’s, but she does a helluva job carrying the song’s energy.

Next up, she forges through “A Question of Lust,” the emotionally powerful Depeche Mode song that’s the one song on here I think only heard years later. It’s a killer, heavy, strong song, but hey, it never charted here in the States. Then, finally, Shannon leaves us with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave.” Or OMD, for those of us who knew we weren’t supposed to spell it “maneuvers” but didn’t know what the extra vowels were or where they went. It’s still one of the words I have trouble spelling in British English. The song, however, was ubiquitous in the ’80s, full of synth and sax. Because is it really the ’80s without a saxophone in a dance song? Anyway, Shannon and Jamie layer on the musical layers, closing 80s Kids in all of the 1980s plush musical fullness.

The question you’re asking yourself now is whether or not you need a cover album of ’80s hits. You may not need an album of them, but this album of them is something special. I know some of this is the ’80s nostalgia talking, but not all of it is.

Oh, and while you’re on Shannon’s Bandcamp page, check out some of her originals, too. After all, that’s why I signed up for her e-mail list in the first place! I already told you my favorite of Shannon’s originals, so I’d suggest you start there, but absolutely explore more!

Geeky footnote: Shannon Curtis is on Mastodon. She’s the first musician I’ve spotted on there, thanks to noticing the link on her Bandcamp page. (If you’re looking for me, my Mastodon link is https://techhub.social/@geoffwilbur, but I rarely post. If you follow me over there, you can be my – checks notes – 7th follower!)