Tag: Dave Cope and the Sass

Dave Cope and The Sass and Dent May

powerpopaholic
Dave Cope

Dave Cope and The Sass “Hidden From The World”

Philadelphia’s Dave Cope and the Sass’s sixth album, Hidden From the World, is a triumph. A playful mix of styles that combines power pop, folk, and alternative elements makes for an exciting and varied listening experience that covers a lot of emotional ground. Influences vary throughout the album, from Big Star, Nick Drake, Todd Rundgren, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, and more. It’s a very personal album dedicated to his brother, who passed away recently.

Starting with “All Alright,” it hooks you with a fantastic riff before the folk acoustic “Just A Dream I Had of Lizzie.”The jangling title track, “Hidden from The World,” is insightful, and the bouncy “One Hell of A Ride” has a great sitar rhythm. Cope keeps churning out great, memorable songs here. The intricately arranged “Crooked Picture” recalls Pugwash, with a forceful anguish that “some things never change.” “Next to Nothing” and “Precious Heart” are both sweet gems with a catchy, singable chorus. Not a single false note here, and “Settle Down” is a soulful rocker with a touch of Andrew Gold and Motown. Overall, it’s a brilliant album that deserves a spot on my top ten for the 2024 list. Super highly recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik


Dent May

Dent May “What’s for Breakfast?”

Dent May is a musical chameleon who can set a mood better than almost anyone. Dent May’s latest album has beautiful melodies and is easy to get into. The opener, “You Already Know,” is a light, airy, upbeat song that encourages the listener to live their life to the fullest, with a clever, slow chorus. “Keep Me In Mind” isn’t as catchy, but still engaging. Another early standout is the fast-tempo “One Call, That’s All,” with handclaps and bright, almost falsetto vocals.

“Coasting On Fumes (feat. Jordana)” has interesting back-and-forth vocals, but May veers into easy listening territory with “Kiss Me In The Rain,” and the songs don’t stand out as much. He tries some pretty psyche-pop touches on “Cactus Flower,” but the chorus doesn’t quite bring it home. The light soul beats and basslines on “Let’s Take It From The Top” sound like demos from disco-era Bee Gees. Nice, but it fails to stick like the first three songs here. Still, this is music that deserves to be heard.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Dave Cope and the Sass and Ronnie D’Addario

powerpopaholic
Dave Cope and the Sass

Dave Cope and the Sass “Killer Mods From Inner Space”

The follow-up to  last year’s highly rated Julee, Dave Cope and the Sass have mastered the sound of the British Invasion, and other genres (and eras) while creatively delivering original gems. The album begins with “A Good Idea At The Time,” a sweet example of 1970s vintage rock a la The Guess Who.

“She Don’t Care About That” and “More” have a terrific glammy pop vibe, and Mod-era Who/Small Faces are mined with the excellent “In Circles.” He doesn’t always hit the target, as “Butterfly Heart” didn’t really hook me, and “Start” felt like a poor man’s Stephen Sondheim musical. But it’s okay that Dave goes outside his comfort zones, and occasionally the shift in style works out, like on the smooth easy listening pop of “Season of Love.” That said, Cope has just enough goodies on tap to make this album Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

Ronnie D'Addario

Ronnie D’Addario “All Gathered In One Room”

Ronnie D’Addario (Papa Twig) is back and continues to charm like last year’s Egg Yolks And Artichokes. Similar in style to Paul McCartney or Gilbert O’Sullivan, Ronnie does light rock and music hall pop throughout All Gathered In One Room. “A Shot in The Dark” is a bouncy haiku set to a catchy melody and while the scenarios spun in his tunes can get excessively sentimental, D’Addario skillfully pulls it off.

Taking a different twist, the title track “All Gathered In One Room” is a Gilbert & Sullivan-styled opera number. His Beatles-lite “Come One, Come All” and “The Journey” are meticulously produced, but merely okay. Ronnie’s creative composition really comes out on the dance hall ballad of “Belle of the Ball” and the creative process turned into a baroque waltz on “Dwight Makes Right.” The Lemon Twigs contribute instrumentally, but this is a “Papa Twig” production all the way through. Check it out.

Amazon