Back in 2006, a five song EP arrived here from its producer, Michael Carpenter - something that always will catch my attention. It was justified and now the proper follow up arrives in striking fashion. Crawford has an gifted voice and a confident knack for writing dexterous pop songs. These are not your cookie cutter type of arrangements which is not to say that they are overly clever, busy or over-ambitious. Far, far from it - Literate lyrics, polished jangly melodies, and just enough sonic tweaks to it all wrapped up in fully engaged listen. Folks who are digging on the sounds of Michael Penn, Neil Finn, Jim Boggia, James Cooper and David Mead, pay attention here. Crawfords` soulful vocals, feather-light melodies and sharp, simple hooks lift all these songs up. It`s a gripping but relaxed set of songs that are equally melodic and mature. Lead off track "Floating Aimlessly" leaps into the listeners lap with the bouncy, biting, piano driven opening lament "Overachiever." The kind of music that you would hear if Ben Folds jammed with Niel Finn with Elvis Costello chaperoning proceedings. Hot on its heels comes "Bad Luck" which sees Russell reminiscing about primary school days when luck was definitely not on his side!The albums cornerstone & masterpiece is the epic "Nigel". This is the `anthem` for the picked on, left out or teased in any way. All proud parents
to be, should be given a copy of this song in pre-natal classes to make them think twice about some of the silly & thoughtless kids names they may be considering branding their unborn bubs with! On the run home Russell channels the spirit of Little Richard in the toe
tapping, hip shaking, piano thumping 60s pop doo wop"Shake It" belts out his best late 70s skinny tie power popping Cheap Trick inspired "Leave It All Behind" and finishes things off with a big revealing nod to his musical influences by covering Andrew Gold`s "Thank You For Being A Friend".
Russell Crawford has lovingly crafted a timeless pop album which may not be made for these times. For the moment he may be floating aimlessly on a sweet potato but Russell Crawford clearly has his sites set on taking the pop world by storm. EXTREMELY Highly Recommended!
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3
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Song #5 - mp3 | 
