Kevin Martin “Throwback Pop”
A real hidden gem everybody missed, thanks to Steve F. for bringing it to my attention. Veteran San Diego musician Kevin Martin weaves the catchy magic right away on “TV News” and its comparable to Josh Fix, Secret Powers and The Nines.
Just the right mix of Beatles and Elton John with hooks that sink in fast. “I Know Why” is a dead ringer for The Honeydogs pop style and on “I Need Your Love” its another perfectly crafted piano pop gem. The 70’s style is obvious, but still irresistible on tracks like “I Wanted To Tell You” and “Let Me Go.” The album veers toward the Elton-styled ballad with “Slow Down” and you’ll hear a little Gilbert O’Sullivan on “Looking For Love.” This is a textbook example on how to emulate the past without ripping it off. Super duper highly recommended, It belongs in my top ten without a doubt.
Alan Bernhoft “Beatlesque Four”
The latest in Bernhoft’s series is more focused on latter Beatles era, with the opener “Love Everyone” which could’ve been a Yellow Submarine outtake for a pre-school class. Many of the songs sound like exercises in composition, with a very simple structure. Several standouts include, “Following Rainbows” with its obvious Lennon approach, and “My Rolls Royce” is Ringo doing a Beach Boys song! “Mr. McIntyre” is another chuging standout, and “They Came” has that Sgt. Pepper’s circus atmosphere. “Captain Anaujiram” ends things on a very silly note, emulating the least memorable Beatle’s song “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number).” Fans will embrace this for sure.
Not to toot my own horn here (but I gotta get the record straight), but it was Kool Kat Musik (thanks to a recommendation from Tom Greuling, one of our most “pop-smart” customers) who made Steve F and Aaron (who’s also on my mailing list – you do get my updates, right Aaron?) aware of Kevin back in earky May of this year. And you’re right, Peter, just about everyone missed out on this initially…..
You’re right Ray. my bad.
I started listening to Kevin Martin’s Throwback Pop and was only halfway through the first song before I bought it. That’s one catchy album. I agree with you about Throwback Pop being a hidden gem – it looks like you and I are about the only power pop bloggers to have mentioned it. (I blogged about it here.)