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It’s easy to dismiss a group that actually
touts their young age of 16. It’s almost a
requirement to immediate throw one such CD into,
“wait until they have a few more years under
their belt” bin without a listen.
The judges at the 2004 SoundOff! music competition in Seattle would beg to
differ, awarding the young gents from The
Lonely H with some time at Orbit Studios,
from which Kick Upstairs emerged.
Mark Fredson on lead vocals
and keyboards ranges from Craig Macintosh (Dogs
Die In Hot Cars) to a piano bar crooner their
moms would die for, especially on ditties such
as “Sweet Madeline” with sad song
horns and “Zelda,” a ballad that could
cause a diabetic fit for some. Checking out the
DVD that accompanies the CD, a live rendition
of “Zelda” throws the high school
dance crowd into a frenzy; no doubt showcasing
a local fan base of jail bait.
“Dragonius,” “Ken” and
“Electric Change” show the boys have
more meat on the bones, throwing down riffs that
make their blonde locks imitate another rocker
from Seattle who was starting out when they were
a mere twinkle in the eye. Thrashing aside, they
are still not able to resist injecting interludes
of skipping-down-the-cobblestone-path, which is
either going to embraced or shunned, depending
on the listener.
The Loney H has come out of the gate with a solidly
produced, musically tight debut album that’s
led by a singer with fabulous set of pipes and
agile fingers. The rest of the players do their
part as well and the foursome seems to have the
kind of connection that could take them far.
www.thelonelyh.com
-Kim Owens, February 10, 2006
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