Anthony Toner - A Light Below The Door

Anthony Toner - Light Below The Door
2011, Dozens Of Cousins

Irish crooner Anthony Tonercontinues to impress with his second album, Light Below The Door. Asmooth voice, a distinctive flair for 1970's style singer/songwriter, rock andsoul sounds and solid songwriting make any concert or recording from Toner atreat, but he raises the bar a bit this time around. Opening with "All OfThe Above", Toner sews a memorable melody into an arrangement that's across between Barry Manilow and early Chicago. "Gratefully" findsToner using a talk/sing vocal style that is appealing. The song is intelligentand heartfelt, and is among the best that Toner has written to date. "EastOf Louise" is a brilliant story song about a friend that is full ofamazing imagery underscored by a subtle, acoustic-guitar driven arrangement.

"Way Too Dark" again usesstark imagery to build a picture of a single mom left high and dry in thelistener's mind. The blues/folk blend in the arrangement is anathema to theneurosis and longing that fill this tune. This is an absolute "Wow"moment for Toner, and is worth a listen even if the album escapes yourattention. "You're The One" is a classic, simple love song full ofgreat poetry that shows off Toner's quieter side. "The Great Escape"tells the story of a family feud in a stirring rockabilly arrangement. Tonerbrings the characters to life in song in the way that only great songwriterscan, and highlights the achievement with some impressive guitar work along theway. Light Below The Door bows with "Nashville Snowflake", thetale of a snowflake that wants to live together. Once again, Toner's melody andimagery are near-perfect.

If Anthony Toner was plying histrade as a singer/songwriter in 1975 he'd be signed to a major label and knownall over the world. Today his material may sound a bit dated to some, but whatdoesn't change is that Anthony Toner is a world-class songwriting, with a voicethat's eminently pleasant to the ear. Artistically he seems to be peaking rightnow, as well. Light Below The Door, consequently, is not an album to bemissed.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.anthonytoner.net or www.myspace.com/anthonytoner.  CD copies are only available from Toner’swebsite.  If it’s digital you crave:

 Amazon MP3                    iTunes


Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

P.J. Pacifico - Outlet

P.J. Pacifico - Outlet
2011, Viper Records

P.J. Pacifico has been wowing crowds around the US for several years now.  His sophomore album, Always & Everywhere, found Pacifico beginning to amass the sort of critical acclaim and exposure that fans have expected for some time.  Pacifico has spent the past couple of years on the road, playing live and perfecting new material.  In that time he became engaged and then married to his girlfriend of a decade.  On June 7, 2011, P.J. Pacifico releases his third album, Outlet.  Born of well-seasoned numbers and songs inspired by the love of his life, Outlet finds P.J. Pacifico truly coming into his own as a grounded singer/songwriter.  Long compared to Matthew Sweet, James Taylor and the Gin Blossoms, Pacifico has finally settled into his own distinctive sound that has its roots in all of the above but has seasoned with time.

Outlet opens with "Fold Up Your Heart", a song about picking up the pieces after heartbreak.  Pacifico's lightly gravelly voice is exceedingly pleasant to listen to, and the chorus is absolutely memorable.  The catchy country/rock arrangement is likely to have wide appeal.  "Heads Up" sounds like a blend of Rob Thomas and Alan Parsons, a kiss-off song to a friend who goes to the well one too many times.  Pacifico dresses it up in an Americana sound with deluxe vocal harmonies.  "Home With Me" takes a ten year relationship and compresses it into less than five minutes.  It's a mature love song, sweet but realistic.  Pacifico touches on both the highs and lows of getting to someplace good, in the process creating one of his most commercial viable songs to date.  This is a potential hit, but would probably need the help of getting attached to a big movie soundtrack to get the attention it deserves.

"Lakeshore Drive" is an edgy, low-key rocker that represents Pacifico's first composition not written in A-440 tuning.  The Chicago reference is obvious, but Pacifico is mysterious on the specifics of inspiration.  No matter, the unusual sound and style here will keep listeners glued to their speakers.  "As Soon As I Can" is a tribute to Pacifico's wife.  It's a song that any working and travelling artist with a supportive spouse at home can understand.  There's a melancholy here born of the dual pull of needing to be on the road and wanting to be at home that is touchingly real.  "Waiting" is about two friends falling slowly in love, while being the only two in the world oblivious to the fact.  Pacifico's writing is artful and sweet, taking a fictional scenario and breathing life into it with fitful glances and false starts that come across in the music.  This one definitely has licensing potential.

"New Song" is self-referential and fun, a song about the song itself, ala Jason Plumb's "Protest Song".  It's catchy and fun bit of fluff that's a treat for the ear.  "Where Can I Be" has a Paul Simon-gone-country feel to it, both in the songwriting and the subject matter.  Pacifico ruminates on new paths going forward, and the human collateral incurred by changes in direction.  The song is a general message that just because he's off on his own that old doors aren't necessarily closed.  Pacifico wrote the song with the idea of collaboration while recording only one vocal track, suggesting perhaps musical stories not yet complete.  "Ships In The Night" is a song about what might have been; near misses and the moments of contemplation that surround them.  There's a palpable quality to the song that cannot be ignored, and Pacifico breathes life into the moment.  Outlet closes with "Targets", an ode to being on the road and the sights seen as a traveling musician.  The arrangement is Pacifico on voice and guitar, and a galloping backbeat born of the early days of rock n roll. 

P.J. Pacifico has always shown a distinctive voice as a songwriter, and his singing voice is nothing to sneeze at either, but on Outlets it all comes together.  Just as the pieces of his life have fallen into place over the past few years, Pacifico's musical gifts have fallen into place to create his best work to date.  Full of heart, class and spirit, Outlet is the sort of singer/songwriter effort critics have been predicting Pacifico would one day create.  There's still room to grow (there always is), but Pacifico has finally found the comfort to let everything flow into song.  Outlet is breakout waiting to happen.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about P.J. Pacifico at http://www.pjpacifico.com/ or www.myspace.com/pjpacifico.  Outlet drops on June 7, 2011.  Keep checking Pacifico's website for availability.

Jon Pousette-Dart - Anti-Gravity

Jon Pousette-Dart - Anti-Gravity
2011, Little Big Deal Music

The Pousette-Dart Band was one of the seminal soft-rock bands of the 1970s, transforming the folk tendencies of the 1960's into a palatable form of rock n roll.  Jon Pousette-Dart spent much of the 1970's as one of the big names in popular music, touring with acts such as Yes, Peter Frampton and James Taylor.  The 1980's saw Pousette-Dart making a comfortable living doing session work and writing jingles, but the limelight beckoned again in the 1990's.  By 2002, Pousette-Dart was on his own; crafting his incredibly catchy melodies into a roots-influenced brand of folk/rock that seems the logical outgrowth of his earlier work.  Pousette-Dark continues creating little bits of musical magic on his latest album, Anti-Gravity.

Pousette-Dart opens with the refined Americana-rock of "Anti-Gravity", an upbeat love song built on catchy hook and strong chorus.  The song manages to capture emotion in musical amber, preserving it to bloom again for the listener's benefit.  "Me And The Rain" is based in a resigned melancholy and sort of optimistic fatalism that begs salvation from the mundane.  The song is beautifully crafted, with the vocal harmonies adding great atmosphere.  Pousette-Dart shows a definite talent for lyrical turns, with lines such as "Calling all dreamers to live in the light / I'm making my peace with the night."  On "Better Everyday", Pousette-Dart offers up a sing-along chorus in a tune about making your way one step at a time. 

"Great Wide Open" ruminates on mortality and the opportunities that remain, delving into a brand of beautiful fatalism speckled with hope.  "Words" is pure fun, a catchy number that's perhaps a bit outside of fans' expectations but no less welcome for the fact.  "Who I Am" is a stunning duet with Jaime Kyle about the tragedy of Alzheimer's.  Sweet and heartfelt, the song details the small victories of knowing and being known.  If you've been there with a loved one this song will hit home hard.  "Heaven Is Here" is crafted from the best pure melody on the album, and looks for Heaven here on earth.  It's a great folk/rock number that's catchy and upbeat.  Anti-Gravity bows with "How Could I Walk Away", a song of love and devotion that avoids saccharine or cliché turns.  The song is nothing less than brilliant in both its composition and its sense of heart.

Jon Pousette-Dart continues to break new ground with "Anti-Gravity", which may be his best collective work to date.  Working with collaborators such as Jim Chapdelaine, Gary Nicholson, and Angelo and Jaime Kyle, Pousette-Dart continues to craft searching songs of love and redemption in a comfortable musical style that moves you and sinks into you at the same time.  "Anti-Gravity" is an honest and mature effort from artist who has paid his dues and can now simply sit back and write and play from his muse.  It's an effort worth becoming familiar with.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Jon Pousette-Dart at www.pousette-dart.com.  Anti-Gravity is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.