The first thing I thought when I popped cerro gordo into my CD player was, “Is this Guster?”  Well, actually no, it wasn’t, it was Rich McCulley.  But it sure as hell sounded like Guster.  McCulley’s vocals were eerily similar to that of Ryan Miller and the poppy upbeat opener “Forget It All Again” could have easily been on any of the band’s last couple of records.  I’m sure McCulley’s heard it before and when you sound that similar to an artist it can be a blessing or a curse.  Anyway, I’ll shut up about Guster and get on to McCulley because he’s written or co-written a hell of a nice record that needs to be mentioned.    

What to say?  Well, the CD is full of laid back breezy tunes that seem to paint a nice picture of Southern California on a warm day in September.  If the OC were still on the air, I’m betting “Forever California” would have popped up in an episode somewhere.  Or any of the other tracks for that matter as most on the album are movie/television/adult contemporary radio friendly.  Standouts include a nice duet with Amy Farris called “I Never Really Loved You,” “Take Me Down” and “Hearts On Fire.”  The production is clean and simple, no fancy bells and whistles, just a bunch of folks playing their parts well and locking in nicely. 

From the looks of things, Rich has been around the block, or at least knows a few folks as one co-writer on the album is Duane Jarvis (Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam) and guest musicians include members of Fountains of Wayne and The Posies (another two bands that are good reference points for this disc) as well as band members of Yoakam, Williams, Frank Black and others. 

If you like the pop, and you’re wishing for another Frosting on the Beater or Ganging Up On the Sun, check out cerro gordo.  You won’t be disappointed.

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Sun, Jan 06, 2008 @ 7:44 pm |