Ken Sharp - Miniatures

 

Miniatures is Ken Sharp's lockdown album. The album's title explains the concept, 32 songs in 41 minutes and largely acoustic. It is a marked departure from previous Sharp offerings which have been a bit common denominator Power Pop by numbers.

Quite a few of these songs have a gentle Psych Pop, even Baroque feel and that works really well. There are about a dozen songs here that are great and would be even better in expanded form. The front six in particular are splendid, but as soon as you get into them they are over and that's the problem really.

An album like this will potentially suffer from that problem. These are sketches and they don't really work in quantity. I love the Album Format and I am a great defender of it, but this is not the answer. Plus, it looks as though you've just thrown your demos out. 

It can look like you couldn't finish the songs or they end too early or never begin. Towards the end of Miniatures you are thoroughly bored. You definitely wouldn't play it more than once, which means you may not buy it at all. By the end, the ideas have run out and song titles include Girls' names that are easy to rhyme.

It is a real shame really, because a dozen of these songs expanded would make a fine and very different Ken Sharp album that would be highly listenable and heavily lauded. I've not looked at other reviews, so I'm not sure if I'm alone in these thoughts, but they are a honest appraisal of an album that I'd like to like, but all seems a bit pointless. 

The worst thing that you can call an album is boring and this is just that. I admire Sharp for taking chances, but this doesn't seem to work in any way. A band like The Armoires used the lockdown to come up with something hugely creative and wonderful. That should be the template.

/p>

You can listen to and buy the album here.

.......................

I Don't Hear A Single Albums Of The Year 2018 : 61-70

2018 has been a fantastic year for the type of music that we like. It's been difficult to get these choices down to 100. I'm also not a believer in saying one album is better than another. Most of the time you are comparing Apples To Oranges. I'm not a Top 10 person, I just think what's the point.

However, for the first time last year, I did a Top 50, normally I just say what my favourite album of the year is. I've simply done it again, because those five posts of last year were so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists.

As I said the standard this year is incredibly high, so much so that I've extended the choice to 100 albums. There is no meaning or judgement on an album that is Number 1, Number 100 or not on the list. Anything that I review on here, mention on Social Media or play on the Radio Show is as highly recommended.

For each album, I've posted a song from it and a link to the IDHAS Review if applicable.


No 61 : Car City - Car City            IDHAS Review here.






No 62 : Ken Sharp - Beauty In The Backseat      IDHAS Review here.






No 63 : Gleeson - The Years Have It 






No 64 : David James Situation - Redondo Sunset      IDHAS Review here.

No 65 : Dana Countryman - Cabaret Of Love 






No 66 : Dave Paulson - Sandusky Ohio      IDHAS Review here.






No 67 : Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - Make 

No 68 : Paul Collins - Out Of My Head

No 69 : Kidd - Where Are The Strange People?      IDHAS Review here.






No 70 : Paul Steel - Carousel Kites 

.

Ken Sharp - Beauty In The Backseat

No waiting around for a decade for the follow up to New Mourning. Two years on, Ken Sharp releases Beauty In The Backseat. My review of New Mourning covers a lot of Ken's background, you can read that review here. This allows me to concentrate on the job in hand, that being this splendid 2018 affair.

Sharp is very much known Power Pop wise, but Beauty In The Backseat provides much more than that. It feels far more at home in the Pop Rock world of the 70's in all that it does. The 16 songs here last for an hour, something not usually the case in Power Pop and the slightly longer songs allow much more in them.






The style, arrangements and sound are very much into that Post Glam Rock world. Albums that appealed to Mum and Dad as much as the kids. Here in the UK, those albums were gathered up willingly, think Pilot, Jigsaw and even 10cc.

There are quite a few guest appearances here. Ace Frehley riffs on Rock Show, Kasim Sulton adds vocals to Mona Lisa Smiles. Ruti Celli plays some wonderful Cello on The Day That David Bowie Died and even the magnificent Marshall Crenshaw gets involved on Miracle.

It's also quite a coup to get John Oates in on the act for Philly Kind Of Night and nice to hear IDHAS favourite, Rob Bonfiglio on Backing Vocals across the album. For all these appearances though, the greatest plus point is the involvement of Fernando Perdomo. The man never seems to sleep and I don't think that I've ever heard a bad song that he's on. He plays on all of the album and Co-Produces and it shows.






There's a real Summer feel to the whole album. That Philly influence can be heard at times, but it's the Pop that shines through. Pull The Strings is pure John Miles, The Hardest Part is very teeny bop David Cassidy and there's also a song about Cassidy present here, that is much more Jangly though.

You can imagine Sharp playing Ring On Your Finger on Soul Train, the same applies to Sinking. Miracle is almost Motown. Lemons To Lemonade will appeal to most, but it's Mona Lisa Smile that hits my buttons most. You can imagine it in a Partridge Family episode.






The album marches on from New Mourning's welcome return. It's far more Philly Sound than that album and very very 70's, but it works beautifully. It's a corker of an album that should be added to your collection.

You can listen to and buy the album here. You can find out more about all things Ken Sharp here.

Ken Sharp - New Mourning

I've long been an admirer of Ken Sharp as an author, musician and supporter of Power Pop. His books on Cheap Trick and The Raspberries are ones I return to regularly and his 1997 Power Pop Conversations tome is essential.

It's been almost 10 years since 2007's wonderful Sonic Crayons album and New Mourning is worth the wait. I knew what to expect, a real upbeat sound, what I didn't expect were such sad lyrics. Listening to the lyrics isn't usually a prerequisite of Power Pop, it's usually a dash to the chorus, but these words are dark and aching. a welcome departure, contrasting with the joy of the hooks.





Don't be put off by Sharp bearing his soul though, because these 14 songs are an object lesson in how to build a Power Pop album. Everything is present, the sweet vocals, the riffs, the harmonies and the solos,

Fernando Perdomo and Rob Bonfiglio, from the wonderful Wanderlust, are ever present and Perdomo's co-production with Sharp is, as expected, spot on. Both know their way round a Power Pop Song.





It doesn't end there though. Pop Rock royalty also make guest appearances. Sharp is assisted by Rick Springfield, The Babies' Wally Stocker, The Knack's Prescott Niles and my beloved New England's Jimmy Waldo.

My only request of Ken Sharp is not to leave it nine years until the next one. New Mourning is Power Pop at it's best.




You can listen to and buy the album here.