San Diego’s Bigfellas are a local favorite and they have a smart way of blending pop and rootsy commentary along the lines of Ben Folds or Randy Newman. One of the many talents in the band, Charlie Recksieck writes some great piano driven music for the the mind as well as the soul. It opens with the SoCal pop of “California King” with a chorus that melts like butter and the biting lyrics of “vegetarians who love to shoot thier guns.” Then it shambles into a hard-luck story with “Dollar for Every Dime” that talks about Lotto addiction, and the banjo follows the piano lead along. The funniest/meanest song here is “I Wish That I Were Gay” which wraps itself in Gershwin’s “Rhadspody in Blue” and turns into the type of satire that Randy Newman used to do so well. It’s basically a rant about gay envy and how they “have cache” and it’s a hoot. The album goes off on left field with a “On The Green” with a disco beat, it’s hard to tell if it’s comedy or just bad rap. We’re back on track with “Johnny Get Out Of The Sky” and fine mid-tempo tune. “Wish You Knew” is a wonderful ballad about regret after someone has passed on. The guitar strum takes center stage in the very psyche-pop “4:20” that could’ve fallen off a Pillbugs album. Lots of impressive piano and guitar riffs are on the Folds-like “Adam & Eve & ted & Alice” and “Reinventing The Wheel” has a bit of the bar room jam feel. It’s good entry in the piano pop field and it makes me want to revisit the past album on CD Baby. Enjoy!
My Two Cents: The Bigfellas have an awesome sound and their music and lyrics are addictive. My first run through of the CD was very entertaining from the get-go with the infectious rhythms, tempos, sound – their music ROCKS! On my second run through, the lyrics really hit home and ranged from sincere and heartfelt to thought-provoking to down-right hilarious! This is a diverse collection of some brilliant song-writing and music…a must-have for any indy music lover, anyone with a sense of humor, anyone looking for something different/edgy but at the same time comfortably “band next door”….hell, it’s for anyone! Buy it!