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Jonny Polonsky: The Power of Sound
[Loveless]

I always wonder how people are going to understand my meaning when I call something a good pop record. I've met many a respectable person to whom pop is defamation of the highest order. Personally, I like plenty of pop records. The Power of Sound is just one of those good pop records that I like. Note that I didn't say love.

With Jonny performing nearly all the instruments and vocals on the record, and it having been eight years since his previous release, you could guess that the fella's a bit of a perfectionist. The flawlessly clean production backs up this theory. Every track sounds like it ended up about as perfectly as it could have. It all fits nicely into the mold of what I expect LA pop-rock to sound like, and maybe that's where things fall a little short. As a whole, the album starts to feel like satisfying background pop with a few standout tracks.

In first position, Let Me Out, brings an energetic and catchy hook that sets hopes for the album. This is pure pop done well. The perfectly selected track to follow in second, Even the Oxen, demonstrates a song with a more complex and mature sound. But after wading through the middle off the record, the phrase front-loaded comes to mind. It isn't that the album has bad music; it's just a little generic sounding. The guitar riffs are pretty predictable and pretty ridiculous on the stretching-to-rock-out Where the Signs End. There are sparks on Calling All Babies where Mellowdrone is a well chosen influence, even if the impression is of a slightly less accomplished imitator. Ultimately, there's definitely nothing catching fire to finish out.

If you could take my calling an album good as a slight, this would be the instance. The Power of Sound is an enjoyable, remarkably well polished record, but it isn't anything innovative. Polonsky's talent is undeniable in the performance and the songwriting, but the album fades into the background without something of its own to hold your attention. I'll be looking forward to his next effort more than I'll be replaying this disc, though it will get it's time in the rotation.

This album can be purchased at Amazon

Jonny Polonsky Official Website

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