Crosstalk Club - Liftoff

 

Jersey Shore keyboardist Dan O'Leary gathered some of his Cover band friends to form Crosstalk Club to perform his original songs and the results are splendid. Liftoff very much centres on Piano Pop, but the group format expands this greatly. 

The production edges into Jim Steinman territory, without the bombast and mixed metaphors, which can probably be explained by the songs being Piano written as were Steinman's. This is fine Pop Rock which plays around with the genres. The band obviously don't take themselves too seriously and there is a real lyrical adeptness across the album.

There are plenty of AOR hints, but also 80's Big Rock, Modern Prog, even Classic Rock. At times there is almost a West End Show feel to certain songs, but this variety adds to the enjoyment. The best example of what is great here is Another Love Song with its Metal Intro and Sing Along Chorus. It just screams out to be a TV Show Theme. 

Psychic Girlfriend is very Andrew Gold, a comparison that can be made often here, which has a killer riff, but on other songs you are reminded of Dennis De Young. The Green And The Gray is so damn catchy, real 70's Pop Rock. 

Both The Piano Is Broken and I Wish are real examples of that show song impression. Damaged Goods is a real mid 80's big production Rock affair, again the common theme is the chorus hook. Not everything works, Plastic Island is cod reggae that is more than a bit twee, but this is a fairly mute point when the album is so strong and the lyrical sentiments are spot on.

There is an impression that these songs have been virtually finished on the piano and then the instruments added to flesh out the sound. That isn't a criticism and Dan O'Leary could easily have recorded these songs as one man with a piano, but the band result is really enjoyable. I loved Liftoff.

You can buy and listen to the album here. Other links can be found here.

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