March 2022 REVIEWS
by Mike Baron
LANNIE FLOWERS: Flavor of the Month (Big Stir)
Lannie Flowers writes elegant, sophisticated pop with emotional content, combining achingly emotional content with a fat bottom. He has just the right amount of rasp in his voice. His alchemy reminds me of Crowded House and Todd Rundgren, but there’s no mistaking Lannie for anyone else. “Lost in a Daydream” might have been left ocver from the Magical Mystery Tour sessions, with its Beatlesque melody and George Martin flugelhorn. “The One” has that perfect mixture of sweetness and crunch Chris Von Sneidern used to perform. “Flavor of the Month” has soaring, cathedral-like structure, as does “What Did I Know.” There are a lot of moving parts in “Day Glow All Night,” and they fit together perfectly, with a massive hook. Every song is a winner, including Lannie’s reprise of the magnificent “My Street,” from Home.
THE SPLIT SQUAD: Another Cinderella (Red Chuck)
Including players from Plimsoul, Fleshtones, Cherry Twister and Dream Syndicate, this quintet delivers freckle-faced power pop with a punch, beginning with the anthemic “Hey DJ,” which begs you to crank it and hits you with a Mike Tyson hook. “Another Cinderella” shares DNA with Arthur Alexander, and Sorrows by extension–hard driving, uplifting rock. Metal vocals on “Palpitation Blues,” and hands across the water with the Ulysses-like “Taxicab,” recalling Ulysses’ “Taxi Driver,” and “Invisible Lightning,” with its martial drumming and wailing guitar. Intentional or not, “Not My Monkeys” quotes Mellencamp. You gotta stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. “Sinking Ship” is anything but. Billy Joel wishes he wrote “As Bright As You Are,” and
“Hey (Soul) DJ is a welcome reprise of the opening track.
THE BYE BYE BLACKBIRDS: August Lightning Complex (Double Potions)
The Canyon refers to Laurel Canyon and the music born there in the late sixties, early seventies, primarily the Mamas and the Papas, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, and many others. This new Blackbirds taps into it with swooming harmonies and memorable melodies. “Mechanics” nails that CSN sound cold, not that you would mistake the Blackbirds for CSN. You won’t. But that type of harmony, a staple of the music we love, is all over this album. “Mechanics” also taps into the magic of the Grateful Dead’s Workingman’s Dead, the album they made in response to accusations they didn’t know how to write songs. Workingman’s Dead is a masterpiece, and this Blackbirds is right up there. “We Got Lost” adds the Byrds, ca. Notorious Byrd Brothers, to the mix. Like Beachwood Sparks, whom they also resemble, the Blackbirds prove you don’t have to live up the Canyon to go up the Canyon. The closer “Don’t Wait” sounds like an XTC sea shanty.
