Mixing in some catchy numbers with some rather dull ones, this album does a good job of evening out. Take "Sue Me" for instance. It sets the listener up for a very up tempo, toe tappin', promising number, but what ruined the song for me was the vocals. They were just too out of touch with the music to be enjoyed. A better example might be "Rocking The Boat" and "Overdue." The first begins with some nice piano work and drums, once again getting your toes tappin', but this time you won't get your hopes up. Approaching the song very cautiously, once the vocals enter you are relieved to hear a very stable number that doesn't let you down. Probably the best song on this album, it stands out for its sheer catchy-ness and ability to hum as well as sing along with. "Overdue," on the other hand, has none of the pieces that make "Rocking The Boat" so good. The whole song has a '70's rock tries to go soft-core' feel, which just didn't seem to fit with the other piano-pop ballards on this album. Besides "Bad Boy Blues," a blues/rock number, all the other numbers only have brief moments of delight, with the other portions of the songs hiding in the corners and trying to be ignored. Nothing jumps out and grabs the listener, the notes just seem to flow out and try to pass time before the next number comes on.

Mike Gibbins can write effective piano-driven pop ballards, on occasion, with the rest of his time spent writing numbers that bring him back to his past. Combining a few good moments with some other moments, this album evens out itself, making it a mediocre pick. The people that will get the most joy out of this album are his, as well as Badfinger's, hardcore fans. The rest of us might just might want to stay away from this disc. I'll give it a C.

Migraines: Shut Up

Mike Johnson: What Would You Do

[Issue Nine // June 1998]