Just a few right now…but well, WELL worth being aware of!

MIKE VIOLA: Electro de Perfecto  (Megaforce)

Mike Viola needs no introduction to power pop fans.  He has been an integral part of LEO, The Major Labels, and Kelly Jones, for whom he co-wrote all the tracks on her record which was in my Ten Best for ’09.  Electro de Perfecto is a strong pop album with good bones, if a bit heavy on the ballad side.  Like Van Dyke Parks, Viola’s lyrics are open to interpretation.  “Columbus Day Parade” marches smartly down Main St. with an infectious hook and lyrics that name-check a lot of famous Italians from Leonardo to Al Pacino.  “Get You Back” is a power ballad with an insistent bass line and a prismatically dazzling bridge.  The bleak tone of “El Mundo de Perfecto” belies the optimistic lyrics but the bittersweet hook provides solace.  “Field of Guns N’Roses” jangles and lopes.

“Soundtrack of My Summer” creeps up on you with a tension-building head that takes flight on the soaring bridge.  This top-down cruiser is my favorite song on the album.  “Closet Cutter” may or may not be about self-mutilation, a rueful rocker with another swooning chorus.  On “Me and My Drinking,” Sean Hurley’s bass is contrapuntal and psychedelic when he hits the wah-wah pedal.  “Inside Out” is a lilting ballad with a piano fill and an unforgettable sing-along chorus.  “When the Stars are Against You,” another ballad, closes the album.

These are unforgettable, beautifully produced songs and Viola has the perfect pop voice with just the right amount of yearning.  But I expected him to rip the top of my head off and stuff in some psychedelic confetti.  As Cole Porter always said, “Never end on a ballad.”

Four stars.

www.mikeviola.com

Purchase at Kool Kat – HERE

KELLY’S HEELS:  Playing Into Your Hands (warmfuzz)

Singer/guitarist Bob Kelly writes the kind of gorgeous heart-tugging melodies as the Mamas and the Papas, the Buckinghams, and the Hollies.  Assisted by drummer Jim Kimberley and bassist Isobel Kimberly, the all-singing trio sound bigger than they are.  Kelly’s guitar is an exercise in omnivorous power pop dynamics.  Ideal dynamics combine compelling beat, earworm melody and the types of change-ups, like hooks and bridges, that leave you panting and eager for the next sound.  This is the essence of power pop.

“How Many Times” could have been a Turtles song.  There’s a tint of rockabilly in “Don’t Make Me Wonder” in Kelly’s guitar.  “First to Say” sounds like a Curt Boettcher production.

“The Next Time You Walk Out” combines classic Brit-rock riffs and tongue-and-groove harmonies recall the like-minded Marmalade Souls.  Hook city.  The moody contrapuntal voices in “Nobody Else’s'” bridge recall Squeeze.  Infectious joy permeates every track.

Must have item.

Five stars.

Kelly’s Heels home page – here

Kool Kat – Here