Craig Leon
produced
the Ramones
,
Lisa Burns
Willie Alexander
and
the Boom Boom Band
, and other groups in the mid-'70s during the
new wave
movement. This album by
Moon Martin
was recorded mostly at
Suntreader Studios
in Sharon, VT, as was the work
Leon
did with
Alexander
Burns
. Eleven originals and one cover all fall within the two minutes and 40 seconds to three-and-a-half minute compact range for the singer's essays.
"Rolene"
"Dreamer"
have charm, and
Martin
keeps things interesting with a
Henry Gross
-type vocal which falls somewhere between
John Denver
Elvis Costello
.
's production is thin, but it works well enough for
to get his point across.
"No Chance"
is an interesting song of love that isn't gonna happen, personal lyrics with
power pop
sensibilities. As
Phil Spector
took
a step further than
's music as heard here seems like it was tailor-made for cult status. In the hands of a singer/producer like
Robert Palmer
's material charted, as was the case with
"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor),"
a song from his previous disc,
Shots From a Cold Nightmare
. Radio was not enamored of the brittle guitar and compressed drum sounds many of the '70s' artists were saddled with. Even the rendition of
Fontaine Brown
's
"Bootleg Woman"
has this high-end sound, but guitarist
Jude Cole
, bassist
Dennis Croy
, and drummer
Rick Croy
provide tight accompaniment to the modern-day
Buddy Holly
-style musings.
"The Feeling's Right"
has that
Nick Lowe
feel; it's just too bad this excellent song doesn't have
Lowe
's production to go along with it. Still, it's a good effort. ~ Joe Viglione