Palaver Records artist: Lance Whalen - Sweet Sugar Pie - New Release Review
I just received a copy of the new Lance Whalen release, Sweet Sugar Pie and although not very bluesy, it scratches an itch. Whalen has a scratchy voice and song style very similar to one of my favorite contemporary songwriters, Frank Black. Opening with What The Hell Was I Thinking , a light folksy but European sounding track, this is the beginning of a quite clever EP. Accompanied by a simple drum beat, minimal banjo, bass and understated but tasty guitar work this is a really great song. Best I Can is a very traditional sounding track based over a simple waltz structure. Again, strong vocals by Whalen are the highlight although there is a nice simple violin solo on this track as well. The title track, Sweet Sugar Pie is a simple ballad with a strong melody and smooth instrumentation. Completing the EP is The Way You Love Me , cool folk ballad with experimental sounding looped electric guitar work under the surface. This is a short but interesting release demonstrating strong wri...