Stolen Rhodes – “From The Dark Side of 88″

Stolen Rhodes – From The Dark Side of 88
Review by Jim Munster

 Warning: Do not listen to this disc unless you have extra room around you to dance, swing and smile.

The opening track “Brand New Cadillac” is a great tune.  There are so many things right with this song, I could probably spend a whole review on just this tune.  I should probably move on…

“All I Need” harkens many depths of musical prowess, feasting on a toe-tapping, pop-happy verse and chorus, with a much mature musical style.  I’m really impressed with how the attention to small details give the listener a very fresh an exciting listen. 

“Long Way Up” is a very cool track.  I’m not sure how to classify it but it has a march-like verse that could lend itself to a Billy Joel or Elton John piano ensemble but Stolen Rhodes have arranged it very well for their chosen instrumentation.  They make a big, full sound with less…I like that very much.

The only negative aspect of the whole CD is the packaging!  This CD deserves  better packaging and artwork treatment than how it was received.  I would recommend that a full CD outing from this group should get the full packaging requirements that it would deserve.

Throughout “From The Dark Side of 88″ I hear nods to Tom Petty, John Cougar and Bruce Springsteen with perhaps a twist of Train thrown in for good measure.  Well written songs, cohesive themes, clean production and top-notch musicianship make this CD a hidden gem in the rough of mediocre attempts by others to emulate this style of music.

This one is going in my CD player…I just wish there were more tunes to listen to!

Stolen Rhodes – “From The Dark Side of 88″
www.myspace.com/stolenrhodes

[POPUP=IMG1]