What can I say about Ken Sharp that has not been said many times before? This power pop fan/author/musician has produced a thrilling album that fans are sure to embrace. Vocally, Ken is similar to Seth Swirsky (Red Button) and Sean Lennon in tone and timbre. From the opening “Hello Hello” he lets the listener know what’s coming: hook filled riffs and melodic power pop. “The Man Who Couldn’t Be Wrong” has the perfect Beatlesque choral and guitar solos, and it pulls out all the stops, including harpsichord. A good mix of Jellyfish-styled melody with Raspberries layered guitars is featured on “Better Every Day” and it keeps getting better with each track. “Melody Hill” is a classic power pop tune, that reminds me of what The Dave Clark Five might’ve sounded like if Phil Spector produced them. Things get a bit funky on “Orange Cellophane” with soul-styled organs and a bit of a Lenny Kravitz groove. “So Simple Radio” sounds like an ELO/Abbey Road outtake (who doesn’t like that?) that fades out strangely. And for power pop fans, “Why Girls Cry” is the stuff we wished Todd Rundgren would do again. Better than his previous albums, it’s a power pop love letter, punctuated by “I Got Lost” a very Lennonesque finale. It’s Awesome stuff. With help from friends Ritchie Rubini (Caulfields), Rob Bonfiglio (Wanderlust) and Chip Z’Nuff and Donnie Vie from Enuff Z’Nuff, “Sonic Crayons” delivers the goods. Get it now and miss it at your own peril for it is part of my top ten list.
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