Category: All of The Dude’s CDs Project

Stan and Judy’s Kid

Artist: Adam Sandler
Listenability Scale: 15%
Released by: Warner Bros. Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

I’ve usually liked Adam Sandler. Whether it be his movies or his CD’s, Adam usually gets a laugh out of me, actually, usually, many laughs, and his characters are either stupid enough to laugh at, or I guess stupid enough to feel sorry for in a happy sort of way. Then I picked up “Stan and Judy’s Kid” and I now am not as big a fan of Sandlers as I used to be.

Like his other CD’s “Stan and Judy’s Kid” is a mix of skits and songs, but of the 17 tracks of material I only liked 2, both of them songs, although the ongoing “Cool Guy” skits did teach me a lesson.

Where to start on this CD? Well, I guess I’ll tell you what I liked and this won’t take long. First off there is “Chanukah Song Part II.” Although having heard it before, I always liked the Chanukah Song, in all of it’s versions, and sometimes it even makes me wish sometimes that I were a Jew rather than in the group of O.J., who’s still not a Jew. A new list of Jewish folks, the same melody, and I’m still singing along. And secondly, the other thing I liked on the CD was the song “She Comes Home to Me.” It’s a crooner song, kinda like Sinatra but with lyrics I doubt he’d touch with a ten foot pole. Let’s just say that the dude’s love is a highly paid whore who’ll “go down on a yack, lick a horse’s nut sack,” and I think that’s as far as I need to go about that song. I laughed my ass off for that one.

But then there is the rest of the CD. Most of it has Adam in a goofy voice, telling stories that aren’t really funny. For “Hot Water Burn Baby” Adam’s in his little kid voice with a story getting to how hot water burns a baby, with a twisted ending, “The Psychotic Legend of Uncle Donnie” has people getting killed with a boat propeller, and “Whitey” is a sixteen minute story of a dude in a mall. The ongoing skit for the CD is “Cool Guy,” done in five parts, basically with the moral of the story being you shouldn’t give your penis a name, such a tallywhacker, or at least don’t tell the girl you’re trying to score with it’s name. It will never work out.

I guess I was hoping for more from Adam Sandler. I know he can be funny, but sadly “Stan and Judy’s Kid” wasn’t. In the end I can only give the CD a 15% on the listenability scale. I tried to listen to it a couple of times but just kept hitting the fast forward button to get to “She Comes Home to Me” and “Chanukah Song Part II.” I’d say go and buy it for “She Comes Home to Me” alone, but I don’t think that one song is worth the fifteen bucks. Oh well.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Stranger in this Town

Artist: Richie Sambora
Listenability Scale: 100%
Released by: UMG Recordings
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

One thing irked me a little the couple of times I saw Bon Jovi, and that was Jon would sometimes sing some of his solo hits, but we didn’t get any Richie Sambora solo material. Maybe Richie’s choice, maybe Jon’s, but in any case, “Stranger In This Town” is one of my favorite albums spotlighting both the songwriting and musicianship that is Richie Sambora. There seems to be some dissension in terms of the opening track “Rest in Peace,” but for me, it really sets up the CD nicely. You can hear some of the sound of Bon Jovi, but Richie adds a nice, bluesy feel to songs that are sometimes haunting, sometimes rocking, but for fans of great guitar, this should be added to your collection.

My favorite on the CD is “The Answer,” the closing track, but pretty much all of the songs hold their own. I liked the “listening instructions” for the CD: “Turn down the lights, Light a candle… Welcome…”, but I would have added one more instruction – “Turn the volume up a little…” because this one sounds great with volume turned up, maybe more than a little. This has been one of my favorite CD’s since I first heard it. 100% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Moon, Not Banana

Artist: Cathy Richardson
Listenability Scale: 95%
Released by: Cash Rich Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The first time I heard Cathy Richardson was on WLUP, a local radio station here in Chicago. I said to myself, “Self, she’s pretty good.” Then I went out and bought her CD, “Moon, not Banana.” It was her first CD, put out in 1993, and boy was I surprised. Not only was she good, but I had a new favorite artist.

I really kinda expected a garage-type band, not really polished, not really that good, but as the first song played, “Bad Example,” I was shocked and/or astounded. Not only was the sound professional, the lyrics were sharp, the band was solid, and I wondered why I haven’t heard her before. Another very talented artist who really hasn’t been noticed by the masses.

So, I decided to quit playing Doom, cracked open a cold one, turned my stereo up a few more notches, and listened some more.

What I heard was this mix of bluesy-rock. What the hell is bluesy-rock? Well, I don’t know either, it just kinda sounds good. I guess you could really say it’s kinda rock-and-roll, with a more blues edge. I also heard a mix of some solid up-beat songs, “Bad Example,” for example, some tender ballads, “Over the Miles,” for example, and fun little numbers, “Drink, Drink, Drink” for example.

Now, most of the songs were written by Cathy herself, with some collaboration by Jim Peterik, among others. I will say that sometimes the lyrics aren’t the deepest of things, like the line “I’m wanna drink ’til I puke, and I fall on my face, and let the big, fat bouncers drag me out of the place.” But hey, it’s catchy, and who says all things need to be serious. But, then again, there are the deeper lyrics, like on “Over the Miles,” a lovely little ballad which really should have been a hit. “And the wind becomes your whisper, and the sunlight sends your smile, over the miles.” It’s touching, the tune kinda makes you want to cry, well, at least us sensitive 90’s guys, and I really like it.

I give “Moon, not Banana” a 95% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. I recommend it, yep, I do. And, for those of you outside of Chicago, you might have a hard time finding this CD, but if you like some fun rock-and-roll, a sad song or two, and just some great singing, pick up “Moon, not Banana.” It’s a great CD from my new favorite artist, Cathy Richardson. And if you can’t find it, e-mail me and I’ll get the information to you on how to get a hold of it.!!!

Fools on a Tandem

Artist: Cathy Richardson
Listenability Scale: 100%
Released by: Cash Rich Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

You know, I liked Cathy Richardson’s first CD, “Moon, not Banana,” so much, that I hopped in my car, drove as fast as possible to my local cheap CD place, and picked up her sophomore effort (at least I think it’s her sophomore effort – I’ve only seen two) “Fools on a Tandem.” I handed the nice cashier my money, then sped home past two cops, lost them at a stoplight, ran in my apartment, popped in the CD, opened a beer, and had a listen. I had a feeling it would be good, seeing as I loved her first CD so much. My hunch was correct.

Once again, my new favorite artist, Cathy Richardson, made me wonder why she’s not out there on your favorite station. She’s got the voice, she’s got the lyrics, she’s got the sound – she just doesn’t have a national recording contract to go with it.

This time around she basically enlisted the talents of the same folks as her first CD. A couple of collaboration songs with Jim Peterik, a couple with Grant Tye, and a pretty cool, talented band of mostly Cathy singin’ and acoustican’, Grant Tye electric guitarin’, Randy Riley bassin’, and Greg Marsh drummin’.

If you read my review of “Moon, not Banana,” you read how I described her sound. Well, on “Fools on a Tandem,” that’s kinda expanded to some Grateful Dead sounding influence, a little bit more on the reggae style, but she still sings with a blues/gospel voice that can blow the roof off.

The span of songs on this CD, again, range from some “make you cry” songs, some funny songs, even some “statement of society” songs. Yep, she has the love song of “You Might Belong With Me,” the worried about the future in “Crimes of Humanity,” a song that is the first time I have ever heard buffered analgesic put in lyrics, and a cute little song, recorded live, called “O Starry Night, Sorry Night” with the lines “but way up high in the hills without my birth control pills, my emotions got the better of me” and “I wouldn’t give it a chance, I’d put it back in its pants, after all it wasn’t all that exciting.”, if you can’t figure this song out, you had better get a clue.

Cathy seems a little more solid on this CD, and when there is nothing on the radio in my car, I pop in a copy of both “Fools on a Tandem” and “Moon, not Banana.” I know then that I’ll be listening to something cool. She’s great live (you can also read reviews of her shows at Gamekeepers and The Park West), and, I don’t know, I guess I think she deserves a lot more recognition. She, I think, can last for years instead of one album like so many bands these days.

And so, “Fools on a Tandem” gets a 100% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale from me. It’s great, especially if you’re looking for someone with cool lyrics, a good voice, and words you can understand. And, if you have problems finding it (especially outside of Chicago), just e-mail me and I’ll let you know how to get your copy.

Delusions of Grandeur

Artist: Cathy Richardson
Listenability Scale: 82%
Released by: Cash Rich Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Upon my first listen to “Delusions of Grandeur,” the follow-up CD to Cathy Richardson’s Grammy nominated “Road to Bliss,” my first thoughts went along the lines of “Maybe I missed something, but I think I prefer my Cathy rockin’ a little bit more. This CD seems a little bit more melancholy, laid-back. I’m not really sure if I’m liking it.” So I listened to the CD again, paying a little more attention since I was stuck in the dude-mobile on my way to Ohio, but I was still kind of daydreaming. Then the song “Things Are Different” started, the bridge of the song hit, and I was snapped back into my liking most everything by Ms. Richardson, rockin’ or laid-back. I finished the song, bounced back to the first track, and paid a lot bit more attention, still stuck in the dude-mobile, somewhere in Indiana, and began to like the CD a little more and more with each listen.

So listening to “Delusions of Grandeur” a few more times, I have begun to recognize many gems of songs that I missed that first time through. Of course there is the song, “Things Are Different,” the song that snapped me back into Cathy Richardson reality. It’s a ballad-styled song, with a great line in the bridge – “Time erases faces, changes hearts and minds and dreams,” and is sort of reflective song at someone you remember from your past whom you’d like to show how your life is now, and how they might have fit into it. Another is “Overwhelmed,” a nice love song which kicks ass as the song wraps up. “I Don’t Want Anything” is a song that starts off slow, and at first had me patiently waiting for it to turn into a rocking number, but it didn’t, and you know what, after a few listens I didn’t care anymore, because the song worked perfectly into a section of the lyrics – “And I’m turning off my phone, ‘cuz when I sit here all alone I don’t want hear how many times you didn’t call.” Cathy did this one right because it ends up being a nice, bluesy, reflection at a busted relationship.

The other song infecting my head sort of confuses me a little, because I have absolutely no idea why you might be growing a garden in your closet. The song is called “Closet Cultivator” and it sort of tells the story of a next-door neighbor in an apartment complex who seems to grow a nice garden, in a closet no less. It’s got a slight reggae beat, which I think is also supposed to mean something, I just can’t wrap my lips and breath around it. The neighbor seems to know what to do with a good seed, and the person in the song, who seems to have writer’s block, seems to think that by visiting her neighbor emitting a fragrant aroma, it will help break the block. I think there is more to this song, I’ll just have to study the lyrics a little more, I think. Sadly, or maybe happily, me and my neighbors don’t share a common vent in our townhouse walls. Enough bad innuendo on my part, Cathy Richardson does a much better job with the innuendo in the song, and dammit, that bouncing beat is catchy.

But Cathy does do something else on this CD which I found just fantastic, and that is on the song “Two Questions.” She took two questions, formed into lyrics, simply “Why are you such a drag? And why do you fuck me up every time you come around here?” and by repeating them differently, made a full-length song out of those questions. And it so works.

Cathy Richardson, for “Delusions of Grandeur,” slips away from her rocker style and keeps things in a bluesy mode, almost gospelly at times, and seems to have gotten a jazz bug a little up her butt. I have to admit that I am not really a fan of jazz, which her song “The Sacred Relationship Between Humans & Plants” reminds me of, but I do understand where she is going with it, but I just didn’t like it.

A couple of listens in I realized that I’m really liking this new Cathy Richardson CD, even if the rockin’ isn’t there. And once again she has teamed with Bill Dolan to create some great CD packaging outside of your standard “jewel box” when you buy the CD. My only recommendation is don’t try to get the CD out of the packaging while you are driving, and I’m not talking about the shrink-wrap. Buy it, you’ll understand.

The CD comes packaged as a theatrical performance, with each song being a scene in a play on a grand stage. Explanations abound for each song, in the little playbill booklet included with the CD, the lyrics are there as well, and some of the songs make a little more sense with the stories that preface them. I have to admit that I didn’t pay that much attention to the stories (I’m sorry Cathy) in the booklet because I’m not a reader type of person.

Anyway, for this review, I’m going to kick the “Bonus Material” out of the equation, it’s five tracks of the same songs on the CD that have been re-done for language or editing purposes, and will ignore the first track, because it’s an “Overture” and I didn’t like it. With that I’m giving “Delusions of Grandeur” from Cathy Richardson an 82% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. I’m not a fan of “A Fool’s Regret” and “The Sacred Relationship” song, so I’ll leave it at that. But the rest have grown on me like a fungus, and it’s a good fungus.

Though not being rockin’ as much, this CD will probably grow on you if you give it a couple of listens. Sometimes you need to do that. I did, and I’m glad.

Building the Bridge

Artist: REO Speedwagon
Listenability Scale: 75%
Released by: Castle Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Hell, if every other band in the world can return to the music scene and release a new CD, why not REO Speedwagon. Building the Bridge is the new CD and a trip across America with Foreigner and Peter Frampton is the tour. And for the band that put out one of the only record albums I wore to the point I had to buy a new one (remember Hi Infidelity – the record that got me and countless millions through school), Building the Bridge brings a maturity level to its fans of old – and its fans of new.

I’ll be honest, I don’t see this CD getting millions of new grade and high schoolers through the teen years, but it is your, for no better way to put it, standard adult contemporary showing that growing older may not be easy, but it can be fun.

Building the Bridge is a good mix of love songs (“Then I Met You,” “One True Man”), and fun songs (“Can’t Stop Rockin’,” “The Ballad of the Illinois Opry”), and mixes the traditional REO sound (like Kevin Cronin can be anything but the traditional REO sound) with more mature lyrics (“Father to son, husband to wife, brother to brother, black man to white. Living together, falling apart, looking for common ground in every human heart…” from the title track). I wouldn’t call it groundbreaking in those silly artistic senses, but it’s a good CD.

I can read the reviews from your typical rock/music critics now: “REO Speedwagon makes an unwelcome return to both CD’s and a tour,”; “The band should have just rested on the royalties of the past”; “Another band wastes our time by staging a comeback.” But, you all know that I am not your typical critic. Maybe slanted, I loved REO Speedwagon growing up, even loved them on the festival tour I saw in Crestwood, Illinois a few years back, and if you liked REO before and have grown up a little – you’ll probably like Building the Bridge and you’ll probably like the tour. And, even if you haven’t grown up, and didn’t like REO Speedwagon before, they’ve changed enough with an adult contemporary sound that you just might like them now.

All in all, Building the Bridge gets a 75% on the listenability scale. Give it a listen and maybe you’ll say REO’s return isn’t so unwelcome after all!

That’s it for this one, I’m The Dude on the Right. L8R!

The Bottle & Fresh Horses

Artist: The Refreshments
Listenability Scale: 92%
Released by: Mercury Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Refreshments are back and I’m happy again. It’s been nearly a year since I got to listen to their debut album, “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy,” and now they are spinning in my CD player with their second CD from Mercury, “The Bottle & Fresh Horses.” They may be a year older, may be a year wiser, but if a year has done anything it has made them even more of a relief to hear.

See, lately I’ve been frustrated with the music scene and a lot of the, well, for no better way to put it, crap, that I’ve been forced to listen to, mostly because I don’t think the industry knows where it wants to go. You’ve got industry types and critics spouting the new age of electronica, you’ve got older bands trying somewhat radical changes in their style by bringing in the new and hip producers, and you’ve got everyone saying that the country scene is dead. Then you’ve got The Refreshments coming out with “The Bottle & Fresh Horses,” and as much as I love the CD, will it get the radio play it deserves? I doubt it, but then this band has not been about radio as much as it’s been about one friend telling two friends, and them telling two friends, and so on, and so on.

I like “The Bottle…” for the same reason I liked “Fizzy..,” it’s crisp, clean, guitar-driven rock and roll with a story to tell. The stories are about being in love, being out of love, death, drinking too much, and being on the run. The melodies are catchy, the lyrics range between deep and funny, and it’s good to hear a band growing older, but not too old.

Intermixed on “The Bottle..” you find songs with maybe not the most profound lyrics, but they sure say a lot. The rockin’ “Good Days” gives you “it’s been a good year for bad days, or a bad year for good days,” “Buy American” rings out with “we’ll eat MSG and talk about Chinese food,” the bouncy “Birds Sing” comes along with “there’s a picture that I’m painting and you know it won’t be pretty, it’s a song I give someone else to sing, it’s a melody I stole from a bathroom wall, and it’s the words I hear the birds sing,” and the fun “Broken Record” contains my favorite line “But when you got back you still wouldn’t show me your brand new silicone boobs.” And then the melancholy “Una Soda,” which I can relate to on many levels, will teach you some of the most important phrases you will need if heading to The Refreshments most sung about country, Mexico.

Most of the songs are penned by Roger Clyne, handling the vocals and rhythm guitar as well, with Brian Blush (lead guitar) taking care of “Good Year” and Buddy Edwards (bass guitar) writing the likes of “Birds Song.” In the background but still pounding away is P.H. Naffah on the drums.

I love the fact that as deep as some of the songs are, the prevailing attitude of the CD is fun, and in a time when you’ve got lots of songs with no lyrics and songs still preaching how bad things are, The Refreshments are still able to take a message that might be angry or sad, but it won’t have you with the “me against the world” attitude, maybe more of a “you should bring along the girl so she can ‘lay high’ while you ‘lay low.'”

A friend of me asked who I would liken The Refreshments sound to. I was perplexed, mostly because it’s not specific. In their songs I can hear Tom Petty, The Violent Femmes, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Herb Alpert, and Hank Williams Sr. If that’s not a mix I don’t know what is. So I told my friend, “I guess there isn’t anyone I can really say they sound like. Maybe that’s why I like them so much.”

So, back to “The Bottle & Fresh Horses.” It’s a great second outing, and I’ve got a new CD that will be stuck in my CD player for months. If you liked “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy” I think you’ll like “The Bottle..” even more. After all, you’ve grown up a year too. Of the 13 tracks, the only one I tend to skip over is “Buy American.” It’s not bad, but does nothing for me. To each his own I guess. As far as the rest of the CD, I find myself singing my heart out. So, 12 out of 13 and that gives “The Bottle & Fresh Horses” a whopping 92% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

A great CD from a band that is as much fun seeing live as listening to through your speakers.

That’s it for this one, I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!

After the Dance

Artist: Ronna Reeves
Listenability Scale: 70%
Released by: River North
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

I started listening to Ronna Reeves about three or four years ago. I was working retail, we had the radio on (I had it set to a country station much to the distaste of my co-worker) and I first heard a Ronna song. That was off of “The More I Learn”, her 2nd CD effort. Then, came her 3rd CD effort, “What Comes Naturally.” I like this CD even more and thought maybe this will put her over the edge. I even saw her live (great show) at an Arlington Heights, IL. festival. Then I waited, and waited, and waited. What happened to Ronna? I waited some more.

Well, finally, I heard some new news about what she was up to, and I found out she jumped ship from her old record company to River North and she was working on a new album. Then she was working, and working, and working, and finally there was a release date for the CD, and another release date, and another. Then the CD was released, and a single was expected soon, and expected soon, and expected soon. Finally, the single was released today, April 22nd, here as I write this review of her CD which actually hit the store shelves months ago. Maybe the marketing folks at River North are trying the opposite of what Garth did with his latest CD. He threw out a single months before the CD was to be released, then had the CD hit the shelves right before Christmas under stiff competition from a variety of others, and then saw his CD rise instantly, but then fall like a rock from the top ten. I think they are hoping just the opposite happens with Ronna, and I hope it works for her because she deserves the recognition she really hasn’t achieved.

Ronna Reeve’s latest CD is called After the Dance. After, in this case, is a good way to describe it, well, at least in the release time frame. After months and months and months, her CD is here. And it’s not bad.

Now, I love Ronna, have since I first heard her voice that first time selling things. I have all of her CD’s (there are three others), and like “After the Dance” as much, almost, as most the others.

The CD is your typical country mix of a few up-beatable type tunes, and a few “I miss him” type tunes. All in all, a fairly decent mix of both, but as much as I like the CD as a whole, nothing on the CD reaches out, grabs me, and makes me want to listen to it over and over. I really wish there was, the fan that I am, but there isn’t.

Ronna enlists the songwriting talents of Diane Warren, Neal Coty, and Randy Vanwarmer to name a few. She even tries her hand at songwriting, in collaboration with Jimmy Grubbs on a decent song called “One Way Ticket.” On the CD, I would say the the strongest songs are the slower, ballad type songs. “Collect From Wichita” has some single potential, as does “Next Train Out.” What the album lacks, however, is that one catchy song needed to propel an artist to the next level.

Of those type songs, I think Rodeo Man is pretty cool too, and you can maybe even can dance to it, but of everything on the CD, it seems River North is releasing the one song I really didn’t care for – “My Heart Wasn’t In It.” It’s not your typical love-type song, and I’d probably give it a five but you can’t really dance to it. Maybe that’s going along with their marketing strategy of starting slow and trying to build up momentum on the CD. We’ll just have to wait and see if it works.

Well, as much as I love Ronna Reeves, think she has one of the best voices on radio (and live), and admire her determination, I still have to remain objective. I don’t think that “After the Dance” is her best material, and as much as I hope I’m wrong, I don’t see this as the CD that will put her into the number of elite country ladies who are taking the country by storm every day. I really hope I’m wrong – have I said that enough. I think her chance came on “What Comes Naturally,” but her management and/or record company, whomever fault it was, missed the boat, were late for the plane, were caught in traffic, kicked the ball wide and to the right, or forgot to eat a healthy breakfast. In other words, they just plain missed the opportunity. This would have been a good follow-up record for legions of fans, but unfortunately most of her would-be fans have never heard of her, and without the one solid single off of After the Dance, they still won’t know what a talent they are missing. At least a few of us do.

In the end, “After the Dance” just misses, at least for me. It’s a good effort by a great talent, and I would recommend picking it up, but even though I rushed out to buy it right away, the big fan that I am (yes, I’ve had this CD for months), in the end it could have waited a little while. Oh well. Good luck Ronna, your time is near – I wish it was now. I give “After the Dance” a 70% on the Entertainment Ave! Listenability Scale.

The Presidents of the United States of America

Artist: The Presidents of the United States of America
Listenability Scale: 75%
Released by: Atlantic Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Here’s a band that pretty much says you can write a song about anything. The hits off this CD were the catchy “Lump” and “Peaches,” but those aren’t the songs that really highlight my first sentence, I mean, you get songs about a “Kitty,” a “Boll Weevil,” a “Dune Buggy,” the man on the “Back Porch,” and being “Naked and Famous.” Punchy lyrics with a sound mixing punk and grunge all at the same time, you get, what they call, “two-string basiter” from Chris Ballew, “three-string guitbass” from Dave Dederer, and “no-string drum” from Jason Finn. That pretty much should tell you that intricate musical numbers are not to be found here, but if you’re looking for a rockin’ good time, you can’t go too wrong with these Presidents.

Entertaining, this one hits 75% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Hello

Artist: Poe
Listenability Scale: 70%
Released by: Atlantic Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The dudette’s name is Poe. Nope, her parents weren’t psycho Edgar Allen Poe fans, it turns out she was a psycho Edgar Allen Poe fan, and through her own trials and tribulations ended up with a CD called Hello. She enlists thousands and thousands of musicians and producer types, alright, just a dozen or two, and came up with an alternative, kinda pop, kinda jazzy sometimes, kinda rock, kinda a whole bunch of influences on a CD packed with music showing scary times on the street and scary times with boyfriends/guys and a touch of hope.

Personally, I think its hard to classify Poe, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You could sit and enjoy a little cappuccino listening to “Fingertips,” but if your shuffle-play puts “Trigger Happy Jack” next, your heart might hit over-drive. The CD never really hits a style, not really ever a rocker, not really ever an alternativer, not really ever a jazzer, but sometimes it is scary. There’s a lot of dark messages in her lyrics: “there’s nothing more sadistic than an infant waving his pistol in my face” from “Trigger Happy Jack,” love messages: “Let it be me, let me be your love” from “Fingertips, and psychotic messages: “I wanna kill you, I wanna blow you away” from “Angry Johnny.” I’m scared, but I keep listening.

You know, as musically pleasing this CD is, you really need to listen to it to hear lyrics that at first seem thrown together, but in the end there is a meaning, a deep one, in each of them.

Poe’s Hello gets 70% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

That’s it for this time. I’m The Dude on the Right. L8R!