...after all it's KURT'S KRAP...

So...who am I? Many of you know me as that SFK guy. For those who don't have a clue, SFK was a highly successful e-mail newsletter I ran for almost 8 years, with over 1000 weekly subscribers. But a few months ago, the burn out factor was just too high. SFK started as an AOR/hard rock zine, but over the past two years or so, my passion for that genre diminished. I still love the classic AOR, but these days I cannot get worked up over all the new music coming out from Europe. And with an increasing ear towards the new breed hard rock and power pop it seemed SFK had run it's course. Roger approached me about a "column" for his website. I thought this to be a great idea, so here I am.

BLESSID UNION OF SOULS THE SINGLES V2 2001 [Similarities: Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms] www.blessidunion.com

While saying it’s fifteen songs, it’s actually thirteen (more in a second), but it does not detract one bit from what is a great collection of hits and should have been hits from this Virginia mob. Built around the incredible vocals of Elliot Sloan, their sound is not quite power pop but has a lot of traces of it. Whether the band is going full guns on tracks like “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)”, “Storybook Life” or the rocked out remake of their first hit “I Believe” (which has a Ratt/Judas Priest feel to it!), or slowing it down for the ballad “Standing On The Edge Of The Earth” or acoustic strummers “Brother My Brother” and “Let Me Be The One”, I couldn’t fault the music if I tried. The only letdown here is, that clocking in at just under an hour, a few more tracks could have been added. And, two different versions of “Hey Leonardo” and “I Believe”, respectively, were a touch unneeded. I’ve been hailing these guys for a while. Maybe it’s high time the rest of you jump on board.

THE PRODUCERS THE PRODUCERS/YOU MAKE THE HEAT One Way Reissue 20002 [Similarities: Rick Springfield, The Knack, Stan Bush] www.theproducers.org

My first exposure to The Producers was WAY back in the early days of MTV with their video for "What’s He Got". Catchy as all get out, this was the last I heard of them until a few years ago when I came across their SPANKING arena rocker "She Shelia" (recently covered by Nelson on their "Life" album). I was dismayed to find they had nothing available on CD. That was until last November when One Way reissued their first two albums on this one CD. Containing 22 tracks of pure power pop magic, fans of early Rick Springfield, The Outfield or even the poppy side of Night Ranger will be in heaven. Each song is addictive and infectious and total ear candy and thanks to a perfect production from Tom Werman, many songs also have a hard edge that should have made this group huge, other than being tagged "the one hit wonder" they have been reduced to. Besides the previously named tunes above, tracks like "Who Do You Think You Are", "Certain Kinda Girl" and "Dear John" should easily appeal to fans of the new breed of melodic rock (ie. Marvelous 3, Tsar and the like). Essential.

RUBBER ULTRA FEEL Warner Canada 2001 [Similarities: Marvelous 3, Cheap Trick, Enuff Z'nuff] www.rubberzone.net

It’s only March but we just may have the album of the year right here. Leaving their Harem Scarem legacy even more in the dust, this is a collection of anthemic new breed rockers that show that the team of Hess/Lesperence, above all else, know how to craft EXTREMELY catchy songs that you simply cannot get out of your skull, even from the first listen. When one hook dies another comes to life and I cannot remember the last time I heard a disc packed with this much sonic punch. And with four of these songs, they just may have outdone almost anything they’ve done since “Believe” (or even the almighty “Mood Swings”). The bouncy “Hopeless”, the superb and hit worthy “In The End”, the strutting  “Happiness” and the arena rocking “Forgive” are simply some of the best songs to grace my ears in some time. In fact, I haven’t been this excited or enthralled with one CD since the last Marvelous 3 album. Their cover of Squeeze’s “Another Nail In My Heart” is also pretty damned good and rocks up the original in typical Rubber fashion. This is the kind of album that each listen brings a new favorite song (giving it some legs). If Warner would release this in the US and give it even the slightest push, this puppy could be huge. Though a touch short time wise, this is a PERFECT album to blast for the upcoming warm weather.