Monday, March 16, 2009

CD of the Day, 3/16/09: The Junior League-Smile Shoot Smile



Joe Adragna has done it again. The man behind The Junior League, whose 2006 debut Catchy was precisely that and then some, has brought us a new collection of power poppin' tunes that may even be better than the debut.

As mentioned in my review of Catchy, Adragna might be the next best thing to Marshall Crenshaw in terms of his similar vocal and musical styles. And "Everybody Loves Me (But You)" with its easygoing melodic charm is Exhibit A for this comparison. "Always Last on the Same Route" has enough of a rootsy retro sound to pass for a lost Grip Weeds classic, and the pensive "Man Called Disaster" recalls some of Crenshaw's recent work. Meanwhile, the rocking (and rollicking) "It's the End" brings Eugene Edwards to mind, "Memories" has that 60s rock sound down, and "Hey! Pop Life" is garage goodness (Little Steven needs to hear this one pronto). No sophomore slump here.

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