I like Richard Turgeon a lot. He specialises in Guitar led Pop Rock that leans towards Power Pop It is fair to say that when I first covered him in 2017 for his In Between The Spaces album, which featured in our 2017's In Between The Spaces, this brand of Pop Rock was around a fair bit.
I don't quite no way, because the genre is generally a great listen, but the intervening years have been less forthcoming. Maybe it's the demise of the Bloggers and Review sites that were around then or musicians have given in with how difficult it is to get coverage, yet alone make a living.
Turgeon is even more impressive as he plays, records and produces everything himself and his albums always sound impressive, so well made and performed. There is a default template that is always spot on. All Alone, Forgiveness and Our Fair City are good examples of this. All contain riffs that resonate.
But there are also times when he lets go. The riffs get heavier and the songs noisier. This is when he is at his best. I've Got You Now and What Could Have Been sound chunkier and edge towards Indie Rock. Sweet As Pie even gets close to The Posies.
Turgeon even masters the great Pop Rock of the 70s with the closer, Don't Forget Me When You've Gone with its string arrangement and piano pop feel. The vocal arrangement is particularly excellent and shows a different side to the Guitar maestro and adds a belting nostalgic solo.
Life Of The Party is a cracking album, as are Turgeon's other six. With all the melody, harmony, riffs and vocal excellence, you tend to forget what a great guitarist he is. He never overplays, every guitar interlude suits the song and if you like melodic Guitar Pop, this is definitely the album for you.
You can listen to and buy the album here. The CD is available on the Kool Kat label here.
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