Perhaps the first thing that becomes abundantly clear when listening to Lady Gasoline is Irish-born Chris Singleton’s penchant for writing catchy melodies. The album primarily consists of eclectic power-pop, with influences fleeting between genres as diverse as classic rock and roll and 1980s new wave (sometimes in the same song, as with the title track), mixing the styles effortlessly without ever sounding out of place. Chris’ slightly nasally voice has a warming smoothness that softly carries the vocal lines and ensures that their melodies remain the album’s primary hook. That’s not to say the music is un-engaging, because it certainly isn’t. ‘Lose It’ is supplemented by brilliant Cake-esque guitar lines and enigmatic percussion, whereas the impeccable bass intro of ‘Bad Ambitions’ moves from the spotlight to allow for a horn-led mix of light Hammonds and flickering funk guitar.
However, it is the utterly contagious lyrical melodies that keep the listener entranced. Cuts like ‘Sold The World’ consist of those charming vocal patterns that are scarcely found outside of George Harrison penned Beatles tracks and ‘Moma Miss Americana’ boasts Dylan-styled intonations.
At the crux of it, Lady Gasoline is an erudite composition of uplifting pop rock that knows not only how to be hugely catchy, but also how to keep the music involving. By throwing in some meticulously crafted pop-rock numbers oozing with emotion, Singleton and his Distractions are on to a clear winner.
You can stream a good portion of Lady Gasoline at Chris' site.
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