About Gmurray
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Let me state for the record that I hate those EP CD’s that some record companies send out. I understand the protection of intellectual property but it is hard to review a disc when all you get is two songs and three little clips of three other songs. Jon McLaughin (not the guy from the PBS Sunday morning show) new recording Indiana is such a disc.
Island Records is trying to make sure that people actually buy their products and not just steal them off the Internet. The reviewing disc only has two songs, “Industry” and “Beautiful Disaster”. The opening piano on “Industry” sings of joy much as the Bruce Hornsby debut disc but the music is more pouncing than strictly melodic. It goes up and down like a roller coaster building hooks as quick as it discards them. “Beautiful Disaster” is a lilting ballad about a wounded woman. It is ripe for one of those light rock stations for its melody while it could have found a place on a more traditional rock station from decades ago. The three clips are for ”Anthem for American Teenagers”, “Perfect” and “Human.”
All three are strong songs but it is hard to judge an entire work from a 10-second clip, but the last two feel as if they are more inclined to have staying power. They all have a nice melodic ring but what kind of a judgement can one make in such short bursts. The disc is for those inclined to Billy Joel or Joshua Kadison, piano men who tell stories in their songs.
