| Issue
#114
Jan. ‘09
On their self-titled 2003 debut
release, The
Naomi Star displayed a passion for
ballad-esque Alt. Country
with a hint of pop. It was a stunning accomplishment that left people
wanting
more and wondering why such a talented band would then disappear.
Reappearing 3
years later with 2006’s Sunshine Girl, The Naomi
Star had grown into a
solid Beatles influenced Pure Pop band. Their sophomore CD was an
instant
classic of Pop, which was hailed by many. While not totally
disappearing after Sunshine Girl, The Naomi Star laid
low for a bit while crafting what would become their 3rd
release, 2009’s Through The
Eyes. This time Steve
Bunovsky (lead guitar, rhythm guitar), Dan Kohler (bass, strings,
rhythm
guitar, harmonica), Paul Kohler (lead vocals, percussion) and Steve
Raccagni (drums)
combined their Pure Pop and Alt. Country to create one of the best
musical/pop/radio-friendly/hit machine albums of all-time.
Through The Eyes can be described as The
(’64-’65) Beatles produced
by (Jesus of Cool) Nick Lowe as played by The Hollies - Pure Pop
Perfection
supported by textbook Alt. Country as defined by Camper Van
Beethoven/Cracker. Karma opens the album with Hooks,
Power-Pop and
Harmonies, all with intense, airy, dreamy, guitar riffs that could fill
an arena
as perfectly as they could fill a garage or concert hall. Where
Are You Going
gives us even more harmonic bliss; it is the complete Alt. Country
package.
Jumping off the player with compelling story telling that makes the
song come
to life, it treats us to good old-fashion Top 40 radio delight.
Everything is
right – timing, progression, hooks, runs, riffs, and
sing-a-long lyrics – it’s
all here and it just keeps coming…
She
Told Me is an
up-tempo crossover Alt. Country-Pop radio hit, Moneyman gives us a darker, heavier
pulse that brings to
mind The Move, and pushes the edge while showing the ability to rock in
a
tighter confine and still conquer defining harmonies. Powerpop
Nugget extols the
virtues of Powerpop by singing a song about singing a song that goes
“Straight to the top/ and the radio
played
it/ over and over/ ‘til we begged them to stop.”
Using power chords and
repetitive hooks to drive the force of non-stop heavy rotation through
the
brain, The
Naomi Star comes up a
winner here acknowledging overkill – yet ending the song
abruptly enough to
drive the point home – Powerful. Following this masterpiece
of Powerpop is the
perfect Alt. Country tune, Anjoulie, a masterstroke of song
sequencing. This shows that
the power of pop, when married to country correctly, can result in
perfection
and makes a case for the versatility of The Naomi Star while establishing them as a
uniquely talented
band.
By this point in the album, The Naomi Star has thrown down the gauntlet:
This is the album of
2009. Track after track is hit after hit material. The song writing
craft is
pop perfection without equal. Their professional style, self-production
shows
that they know their way around the studio as well as around the songs.
Where
are the so-called geniuses of the music world when a band like this, as
talented in the craft of music composition, can slip by without
acknowledgement? Well, screw the corporate shirts, their studies, their
surveys,
and their demographics. I’m here to point the way and tell
you that if you
enjoy Pure Pop perfection coupled with ultimate Alt. Country that
harkens back
to the birth of Rock-n-Roll when The Beatles married skiffle and blues
to
harmonies and hooks to create Pop as we know it, then look no further
than Through
The Eyes by The Naomi Star.
Is there a better song perfect album of 2009 out there? Well, there are
twelve
months to find out. In the meantime, we only described half the album
to you so
far. Care to flip this platter and find out what’s on side 2?
From the title track and carrying through until the
end, we get song after song of pristine pop, vocal harmonic perfection,
classic
purist production, and ultimate song writing tales of Love, longing,
want,
need, romanticism, and escapism - just to name a few subjects of what
we come
to know and love pop/alt. country music for. A
Better Place would
make Brian Wilson envious and makes us “Smile.” Brighter
Star’s lovely
harmonies and beautiful acoustics again conjure up the Beatles
& The
Hollies while evoking The Eagles and CSN & Y.
The final 4 tracks of Truly,
Slowing Down, Another World, and Your love (Annabelle) leave
us astonished at what The Naomi Star has accomplished with their 3rd
release.
Change the name of the band to that of an established act and title
this a
“Greatest Hits” package and no one could argue that
fact. As an independent
band from a musically overlooked part of the country, The Naomi Star have crafted the pinnacle of
pop/Alt. Country
perfection that most major artist bands would have to wait a career to
produce.
Don’t wait for the commercial entities to try to explain to
you why they
overlooked one of the masterpieces of the early millennium, sink your
ears into Through
The
Eyes and be content to
know that it doesn’t take a media machine to acknowledge
great songwriting.
The Naomi Star -
Through The Eyes
is available now for: $10.98 + s/h*
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Handling charges:
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Everywhere else -$7.00
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