Toad The Wet Sprocket - All You Want

Toad The Wet Sprocket - All You Want
2011, Abe’s Records

Grunge was the buzz word of the 1990's, but great pop/rock music didn't disappear entirely from the airwaves.  Toad The Wet Sprocket was one of those bands keeping great songwriting alive while the rest of the country wore their angst on their collective sleeves.  With hits such as "Walk On The Ocean", "Fall Down", "Something's Always Wrong" and "Good Intentions", Toad The Wet Sprocket managed to quietly carve out a place for themselves on college and commercial airwaves throughout the US.  The band broke up in 1998, but performed together occasionally over the years.  In 2009, Toad The Wet Sprocket became an active project once again.  Unfortunately all of their song rights were recorded by the evil empire, also known as "The Labels".  The solution?  All You Want, a collection of updated recordings eleven of Toad The Wet Sprocket's finest songs.

Such recordings are often met with skepticism by fans, but offer some real opportunities for the artists to, A.) gain control of recordings of some of their songs, and,  2.) update familiar songs with their current vision for each.  All You Want accomplishes both objectives quiet well.  Toad The Wet Sprocket in 2011 has a more organic sound than you'll find on their classic albums Duclinea, Pale and Fear.  The songs haven't changed significant, but the pure pop sheen of the 1990's has been stripped away, leaving their wonderfully well-written songs with more of a live-band feel.  Glen Phillips' voice is as easy-going and as pleasant to listen to as always.  The bands' hits are as solid as ever, with the Americana-rock arrangement of "Brother" standing out in addition to the closer "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted".

All You Want allows Toad The Wet Sprocket (named from the Monty Python "Rock Notes" sketch) to make a living off their own material in licensing deals, but also shows a band working at or near the same level of artistry and finesse as they displayed during their mid-1990's heyday.  A new album of original material is in the works as well, but for now, All You Want is more than enough to keep long time fans happy, while appealing to a new generation of fans.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Toad The Wet Sprocket at http://www.toadthewetsprocket.com/ or www.myspace.com/toadthewetsprocket.  For the time being, All You Want is only available from www.toadthewetsprocket.com or at their live shows as a CD or Download.  A formal release to retail will occur in the Spring of 2012.

Terry Holley - Acoustic Covers

Terry Holley - Acoustic Covers

2010, The Standard Electrical Record Company

Terry Holley is a man living his dream.  Over the course of three months Holley recorded eleven covers of classic tunes in his home.  Mixed in a Florida studio with limited compression, the album Acoustic Covers gives life to Holley’s straightforward style of acoustic guitar play, mixing in organic and synthesized instruments.  Holley will be giving away one hundred copies of the album as Christmas gifts to family and friends this holiday season, and will also be offering Acoustic Covers for sale online in the near future.  Holley expects to lose money on Acoustic Covers, but is proceeding purely on his love for music.

Acoustic Covers is literally titled.  There isn’t much original or surprising in the eleven tracks offered here, but Holley offers consistent and loving renditions of classic rock songs one might assume were among his personal favorites.  Holley keeps the arrangements simply drawn, offering up just enough instrumental support to build a sufficient canvas to backlight his guitar-based melodies.  The results are generally very solid; while Holley never quite sets the night on fire with his guitar style, he manages to move from song to song with a bit of spirit and panache in spite of the middle-of-the-road arrangements.

Holley opens with The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream”, a straight-up instrumental read with a playful feel.  You can almost hear Holley’s smirk throughout the song.  “Splish Splash” is similarly arranged, adding light percussion this time around.  Musically solid, there’s a somewhat canned feel to this one – like slightly upbeat Muzak.  Holley shows some real bounce on Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, working some jazzy life into the transitions.  Holley keeps upping the ante here, getting some real bounce into the act as the song progresses.  Holley takes The Beatles to the music box on “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” with a faithful instrumental that keeps things simple.

Holley has some fun with Pure Prairie League’s “Amie”, a sweet cover that captures the melodic heart of the song in a tight and well-played cover.  Holley then steps out on a bit of a limb with The Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee”, incorporating flute and strings in a solid rendition that seems a bit more ambitious than what has come before.  The Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” is up next in a sufficiently intricate rendition that is aurally appealing.    Holley captures the snarky feel of Eric Idle’s “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”, offering up a light and airy reading that will leave a smile on your face.  “Obladi, Oblada” gets back to the music box Beatles feel noted earlier in a straight-up, enjoyable rendition.  Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade Of Pale” is eminently reverent to the original arrangement even if it seems a bit dissociated from the emotional heart of the song.  Holley closes with Gioachino Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” in a technically splendid performance.

Terry Holley certainly chases the dream on Acoustic Covers.  In this regard the album is a huge success, as Holley manages to perfect a dream long held.  Acoustic Covers is a pleasant listen that is certain to please the ears and provide for hours of solid background music.  Holley is proficient with the guitar; technically consistent and able to display the occasional spark that turns a mediocre album into an above-average one.  Acoustic Covers does tend to be a bit too straightforward at times.  It would be nice to hear Holley actually interpret the songs offered up here rather than just playing straight melody lines.  But for what it is, Acoustic Covers is worth spending a bit of time on.  And as a dream come true, you could do worse.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

 Acoustic Covers is available as a digital download from Amazon.com, CDBaby and iTunes.