Mimi Betinis “All That Glitters”
As the driving force behind Chicago’s pioneering power-pop group, Pezband in the 70’s – Mimi Betinis offers up his first solo album. “All That Glitters” features classic guitar heavy gems like the opener “Love Is Just A Thin Veneer.” Betinis sounds great and his rhythms and structures are more eclectic and fine tuned than ever.
“Come On Down To My House” is a funky rock treat that almost flirts with hip hop.The production is very dense and layered with multiple guitar lines and beats. Stylistically it goes everywhere as “Blue Sky” has a catchy melody complemented by Chuck Soumar and Dave Stalhberg’s horn bursts. Another winner is the Beatlesque “Romance Me” with Rickenbacker licks and poetic lyrics. It gets a bit difficult to keep the pace past the album’s second half, although the Lennon-like “What’s Your Name” is welcoming diversion. Fans of classic rock and Pezband will want this one for sure.
The Test Dream “Shades Of Love”
I reviewed the debut of this Long Island band not so long ago. Lead vocalist Ryan Colt Levy is a bit more understated here on “My Reflection.” The song has the same compelling mix of hooks and slick production that made the debut impressive. “Comeundone” has some nice harmonies here, but the melody is fleeting. The band shifts gears on the overly commercial “Open Wide” and it almost turns into easy listening, but lucky for us things improve with “Oil & Wine” and “Father Time” where the layered melodies work better with the instrumental parts. You’ll hear influences from Maroon 5 to Jellyfish in spots, and most power pop fans will appreciate the nice guitar break on “Game Over.” The album is consistently good but nothing blew me away. Overall its a mature effort by a talented band that continues to grow.