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JOHN HOSKINSON "MISCELLANEOUS HEATHEN"
Since getting this album last fall, it's been in heavy
rotation on my iPod, particularly "I Hope I Die Before
You Do," "Waiting for Someone to Call," and "She
Still Plays Around," each of them a polished power pop
gem. Fact is, this is one of my favorite recent
albums; there are simply no weak tracks at all, and it
rarely leaves my CD player or iPod without several
spins. This is intelligent, well written pop music by
a master of the form, with an engaging vocal presence
and sure ear for hooks. The record was produced by
Joe Ongie, and features the equally excellent Eugene
Edwards on guitar (my guess is Hoskinson's main
instrument is piano, although he's a
multi-instrumentalist.) There's certainly echoes of
McCartney and lesser known talents like Jason Falkner
and Chris von Sneidern here, as well as hints of early
Peter Case material, but for a debut album, this is a
complete success. Add to that a really great album
cover, and you can file it right up there with Nils
Lofgren's solo debut album from 1976 or Matthew
Sweet's "Girlfriend" as a classic of the genre.
- Kent H. Benjamin
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