Customer Reviews

42 Days

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4 star:		(1)
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I saw Saul last night at the Ram's Head in Annapolis, MD. He opened for Adrian Belew, who helped produce this CD and even plays guitar on some of the tracks! I go to a lot of shows, and he is one of the most surprisingly impressive opening acts I've seen - ever. This CD rocks! It is some of the most intelligent straight-ahead power pop/rock out there. Also, check out his "Guinea Pigs" CD. The song "Bette" is a classic tale of a boy and his inflatable doll - right up there with Roxy Music's "In Every Dream Home A Heartache." (Shame on radio - shame, shame, shame! This should be all over the airwaves, if radio had a soul anymore.) Next time Saul hits the area, I'm there!

He's not exactly as predictable as AC/DC, but Saul Zonana is still a pretty consistent guy. You know what you're in for with any one of his CDs; irresistibly catchy power-pop rock, most excellent sound & engineering, intelligent lyrics and more hooks than a pro angler's tackle box. Thankfully he's also a solid enough writer that his stuff warrants extended play rather than getting old after a while. He's spun out several pieces of gripping ear candy over the last decade or so, but 42 Days is arguably his strongest and most realized (though as yet I haven't heard Blue Monkey, so I may be wrong about that).

Saul has a great ear for melody and a perfect voice for this style - distinct, smooth but not nasal, and powerful enough to match the rockingness of the tunes. The only less-than-solid component overall is probably the lyrics, which range from excellent (the irresistibly punchy "Chasing It") to thoughtful ("Hey Now") to somewhat tawdry ("Thinking"). Usually they're solid and smart, and sometimes you can tell he just threw something together to make an easy rhyme (but at least it never sinks to the level of embarrassment of, say, the Beatles). But that's really no big deal. This stuff is generally as witty as it is catchy, perfect for a sunny-day cruise down the road. Rock on, Saul, and keep 'em coming.