Tag: Kevin Martin

The Steve Deaton Three and Kevin Martin

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The Steve Deaton Three

The Steve Deaton Three “The Steve Deaton Three”

Mississippi rocker Steve Deaton (formerly of Buffalo Nickel) is joined by bass (Adam Perry), drums (Denny Burkes) to form The Steve Deaton Three. The chiming guitar chorus of “Duke of High School” is about a legendary burnout who everyone knows. The sound is very much like The Raspberries and Cheap Trick, done in a tight 70’s FM style. Next “Watching You Drown” has a great chord structure, sleigh bells, and that sweet jangling strum.

A harder fuzz is found on “Beautiful Believers” about a Christian rock band. You hear some Southern influences on “The Big Cheese” which recall ZZ Top and Rick Derringer, who gets his own tribute here (“Derringer Lays It Down”). Even twanging country rock comes up on “Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford.” This is a band that understands the need more cowbell and makes its debut a ton of fun. “If you were listening to the radio in 1978, this record will make sense to you,” says Deaton. A faithful cover of the Nazz classic “Open My Eyes” rounds out this highly recommended album!

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Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin “Future Friends ”

San Diego singer-songwriter Kevin Martin moves away from the classic power pop influences of his debut Throwback Pop for his second album. But he does move forward in time. “Julia” is a ’80s styled pop extravaganza with deep synths and beats, it continues with “Loaded Gun” sure to appeal to fans of Ah-Ha, Level 42 and The Fixx. Thankfully, it isn’t stuck in the ’80s for long.

“Not Gonna Let You Go” comes a little closer to the piano pop from his debut, with its classical flourishes recalling Elton John. “The Unknown” throws in more style, a little bit like Queen or The Fratellis and its a big standout. “Diamonds” starts with a waltz but shifts to a hook filled chorus and boasts a terrific guitar coda.”Goodbye” is a gorgeous piano ballad supported by strings, and makes a solid closer. There are plenty of quality songs here, richly produced and worth adding to your playlist. Definitely Recommended.

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Kevin Martin and Alan Bernhoft

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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.

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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.

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Candlebox and Lightships

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Candlebox “Love Stories & Other Musings”
Candlebox is a perfect example of popular rock band that doesn’t want to be hemmed into a single rock category. With a platinum-selling debut in 1993, they rode the Seattle grunge bandwagon but the wheels fell off in 2000 with numerous personnel changes. They reformed in 2008 and the band now sounds totally ready for a comeback. Opening with “Youth In Revolt” it’s got a loose feel, and like the Foo Fighters, blasts us with guitars and a heavy hook. My favorite here is next, “Sweet Summertime,” its a great power pop track about the difficulty of touring and being away from your family while on the road.

There are many great songs here from the hard melodic “Lifelike Song” to the sweet power ballad “Baby Love.” Lead singer Kevin Martin still has those trademark howls that work best with Peter Klett’s gritty riffs. They are no longer beholden to grunge, although a faithful re-recording of five past hits are included (in case you forgot them). After listening to the entire album those “hits” are the weakest songs here. If we evaluated the new tracks alone it would stand as the best Candlebox album ever. A great re-introduction to a band that plays genuine melodic rock n’ roll.

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Lightships “Electric Cables”
Gerard Love’s (Teenage Fanclub) new solo outing is a shimmering poppy confection, opening with the lighter-than-air  “Two Lines” and the summery warmth of “Muddy Rivers,” it has more in common with Belle & Sebastian than his former band. Backed by Bob Kildea from Belle & Sebastian (surprise!), Tom Crossley from The Pastels, Dave McGowan and Brendan O’Hare from Teenage Fanclub, Love gets to indulge in sweet melodies and lush arrangements that echo and envelope the listener. There is no better example than “Sweetness In Her Spark” with its quivering rhythms and ethereal vocal. The precious centerpiece is “Silver And Gold” – and it’s got some groovy guitar fuzz to go with harmonies worthy of The Association.

While lovely, the thick atmosphere and flute of “The Warmth of The Sun” could also put you to sleep. But there are enough wonderful harmonies like on “Stretching Out” that prevent things from being a total snoozefest and fans of  gentle chamber pop and psychedelic daydreaming will find this a perfect album. Others may consider it the musical equivalent of Prozac.

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