Minky Starshine and Kurt Baker

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Minky Starshine

Minky Starshine “Dirty Electric”

Rob Anastasi’s Minky Starshine has a new LP produced by Ken Stringfellow and has enlisted the support of Mike Musburger, Ducky Carlisle, Corin Ashley, Fernando Perdomo, and Phil Aiken. The album starts with the laid-back “Art School” as the lead lyric seems pessimistic; “I went to school for art but ended up pushing papers” however it comes around to the upbeat “everywhere is going to lead somewhere.”  But the darkness creeps in on “Everybody Loves to Party” despite the catchy chords and “London Metropole” focuses on the pain of loneliness.

The notable “Good Company” is a bright spot, with its hopeful melody and layered guitars. The production is artfully done, as Anastasi’s songs are emotional and resonate, but the edge seems much softer now. Especially on the apprehensive “Go!” which mixes a fast paced verse with a big arena-friendly multi-tracked chorus. Unfortunately, many other songs just didn’t stick in my head, which seems a long way from the brilliant Womanity. This is still music that deserves to be heard, and Anastasi is a world-class talent. Check it out.

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Kurt Baker Combo

Kurt Baker Combo “Let’s Go Wild”

The irrepressible Kurt Baker continues to pump out party records since his move to El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. With his combo, they specialize in the raucous garage rock and roll with a melody.”So Lonely” is a dirty gem that sounds straight out of the cellars of the Cavern Club. The other songs follow a similar pattern, like the quick tempo booming drum kit on “No Fun At All” or the Gary Glitter-like chords of the title track.

But after a while, these tunes blend into each other and nothing stands out. The fuzz chords increase on “A Girl Like You” which sounds closer to Watts than Kurt Baker’s Combo. “Yesterday Today” adds some Motown elements, but the percussion is too loud in the mix. Fans will still enjoy this, but beginners should check out the earlier albums.

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Dana Countryman and Palmyra Delran

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Dana Countryman “Cabaret of Love”

Countryman has been accurately described by John Borack as a “One-man Brill Building.” His influences go from the ‘50s to the early ‘70s and often cross the line into retro-kitsch. But its done with such skill and fine musicianship that it’s a guilty pleasure (without the guilt). And an array of guest talent is here; Terry Draper and Dee Long (Klaatu), Jamie Hoover (The Spongetones), Probyn Gregory (The Brian Wilson Band), Scott McPherson, and Kai Danzberg.

The bossa nova and trumpets start things quietly with the subtle title track and from there the sunshine pop of “I Never Knew” bursts forth like a “lost” Carpenters hit. Kai Danzberg adds his harmonies to The Beach Boys-styled “If I Had A Girl” and “Summer Sand.” Then Jamie Hoover’s Beatlesque guitar leads the catchy “Just See If I Care.”  More highlights include “That’s Why I Love Her” As the album progresses, the shmaltz level increases, some of it the Four Freshmen-like “The Night I Fell In Love With You” and others so sweet (“You Better Watch Out”) you’ll get a toothache. Highly Recommended.

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Palmyra Delran

Palmyra Delran and The Doppel Gang “Come Spy With Me”

While it’s been a long time since pop siren Palmyra released a new LP, but she certainly picked a top-notch group of friends to help her along. Special guests include Steven Van Zandt, Debbie Harry (Blondie), and John Carlucci (Fuzztones).

The opening title track has Palmyra in fine form with a “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” garage pop melody loaded with harmonies and distorted guitar hooks. “Happy Birthday Middle Child” is boosted by Harry’s backing vocals and its eye-rolling sarcasm. Then “Tape A Nickel To The Tonearm” is a throwback to the swivel-hipped dance craze era. The R&B gem “I’m Satisfied” is a cover of hard rock combo Fanny’s deep cut from 1973 and Paul Collins adds his guitar to “(If You’d Like To Make A Call) Please Hang Up.” The latter is almost a musical answer to Collins hit “Hangin’ On The Telephone” with The Nerves. “I Thought You Said You Were Gonna Kill Yourself” is classic Palmyra and another standout. Overall a terrific LP that would’ve made my top 40 list.

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Power Popaholic Top 40 for 2018

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Top 40 albums of 2018

This year was an abundant one for power pop, as it was very difficult to sort out the top 25. And I expanded my list to 40 artists. As it has happened in the past, my #1 is the same as absolutepowerpop.com (I swear this list is compiled without looking or collusion!) Overall I heard a trend towards heavier guitars, like on Caddy, Dot Dash or The Well Wishers. I also heard more male-female harmonies like on Parks and The Grip Weeds. While the power pop genre no longer has the broad reach it did ten years ago, it has become a more prominent part of the indie/alternative rock scene.

    1. Starbelly “Four”
    2. David Myhr “Lucky Day”
    3. Sloan “12”
    4. Rob Bonfiglio “Trouble Again”
    5. Caddy “Ten Times Four”
    6. Bill Lloyd “Working the Long Game”
    7. Bird Streets “Bird Streets”
    8. Danny Wilkerson “Wilkerson”
    9. Parks “Parks”
    10. Lisa Mychols “Sugar”
    11. Linus Of Hollywood “Cabin Life”
    12. Valley Lodge “Fog Machine”
    13. The Grip Weeds “Trip Around the Sun”
    14. Nick Piunti “Temporary High”
    15. Caper Clowns “A Salty Taste To The Lake”
    16. The Genuine Fakes “Issues”
    17. Chris Richards & The Subtractions “Peaks and Valleys”
    18. Oberon Rose “Tell Me About It”
    19. Kai Danzberg “Pop-Up Radio”
    20. Greg Pope “A Few Seconds Of Fame”
    21. Chris Price “Dalmatian”
    22. Paul Collins “Out of My Head”
    23. The Supahip “The Two-Sided Face”
    24. The Innocents “Teardrop Kiss”
    25. The Beths “Future Me Hates Me”
    26. Creamer “Creamer”
    27. The Well Wishers “A View From Above”
    28. Tony Molina “Kill The Lights”
    29. Michael Simmons “First Days of Summer”
    30. Mark Lane “New Memory”
    31. The Incredible Vickers Brothers “Torch Songs for Swingers”
    32. Dot Dash “Proto Retro”
    33. Tommy Lorente “Stupefaction”
    34. Paul Steel “Carousel Kites”
    35. The Davenports “Don’t Be Mad At Me”
    36. The Connection “We Wish You Success”
    37. Everet Almond “Everet Almond”
    38. Vegas With Randolph “Legs & Luggage”
    39. Matthew Sweet “Tomorrow’s Daughter”
    40. The Magic Gang “The Magic Gang”

Top EPs of 2018

  1. Magpie “Picasso on a Log”
  2. William Duke “Quatro”
  3. Nick Frater “Goodbye Kayfabe”
  4. Jackie Daytona “She’s So Hot” 
  5. Cupid’s Carnival “Clapham Junction”

Top Compilations of 2018

  1. Various Artists “Altered Sweet: A Tribute To Matthew Sweet”
  2. Various Artists “International Pop Overthrow Vol. 21”
  3. Assorted Artists “White Lace and Promises: The Songs of Paul Williams”

My year-end of power pop of 2018 is coming soon!

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Yes, it’s that time of the year again. I will do my best to put out a comprehensive listing by the end of this week. As I sort through the finalists I am also preparing reviews for January. I always end up with a handful of artists where I ran out of time in 2018 to review their work, and they get first consideration. On top of that, some bloggers put out their lists early and I have to note who I completely missed. Thank you for your patience.

White Lace and Promises: The Songs of Paul Williams

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White Lace and Promises: The Songs of Paul Williams

Assorted Artists “White Lace and Promises: The Songs of Paul Williams”

Producer Andrew Curry, who has a soft spot for soft rock (Drink a Toast To Innocence) is back with his sites now on ’70s singer-songwriter Paul Williams. While a recognizable musical performer and actor, Williams legacy as a celebrity often overshadows his formidable songwriting talents. After all, he’s won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and several Grammys. His work includes hits for Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand and The Carpenters – all part of this covers collection by some talented indie power pop artists.

Several songs are given new life because many are deep cuts that won’t be instantly recognizable. I enjoyed the faster tempo of The Davenports take on “Evergreen” and Zach Jones faithful version of “Someday Man.” Lisa Mychols totally nails “You and Me Against The World” and Cliff Hillis turns the Carpenters epic “Rainy Days and Mondays” into an intimate personal ballad. Minky Starshine has a wicked version of “The Hell Of It” from the Brain DePalma cult film The Phantom of The Paradise.

But the ballads are where Williams songwriting is best known, and Chris Price’s “I Won’t Last A Day” and Andy Reed’s “Rainbow Connection” infuse Paul’s hopeful emotions perfectly. The Corner Laughers do their best to imitate singing muppets on “Movin’ Right Along” and The Test Pressings (John Borack, Robbie Rist and Karen Bassett) do a cheese-filled version of “The Love Boat,” in which Williams only wrote the lyrics. A few songs don’t quite work, but overall a fun compilation with a high batting average. And that’s highly recommended.

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Many years ago Paul Bertolino covered Paul Williams beautifully. It’s a FREE download that would fit nicely with the collection above. Enjoy!