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| FIVE SONGS FOR FIVE BUCKS - STEVE SINNICKS |
| I have no idea how long it takes Mr. Sinnicks to compose a song, but he certainly makes the process sound easy. The five songs, all Sinnicks originals and none exceeding four minutes in length, are constructed in a format that has proven to be commercially successful for people like John Cougar Mellancamp and Bryan Adams. While Steve doesn't have the vocal range to compete with those two performers, his tone is certainly not unpleasant. As well, he does have a rare gift for composing concise, intuitive and, at times, very witty lyrics while retaining the steady rhythm that mainstream country-rock audiences find so appealing. There is nothing really profound in the lyrics, but sometimes the obvious gets overlooked in these analytical times. His thoughts have a refreshing honesty and innocence to them, not unlike Buddy Holly, the Northern Pikes and 54-40. He tends to make observations rather than judgments and seems genuinely perplexed (and no doubt disgusted) by deviant human behaviour. "Hold Me Baby (Let's Go)� is a fun country-rocker that lends itself nicely to a short but sweet line-dance, or if you speed up the mid-tempo, it would make a great straight-ahead rock'n'roll song. "Hold On to Me" is a slower but catchy rock track along the lines of Cyndi Lauder's "Time After Time", extending heroic assistance to a damsel in distress. "Never Mean to Hurt You", about an out-of-sync, on-again, off-again relationship, has a cha-cha rhythm to it, demonstrating Steve's percussive talents in addition to some fine guitar-picking. "Back up the Chevy", about a down-on-its-luck family seeking greener pastures, brings the listener back to the country-rock beat that Steve gravitates towards. "What You've Done", an interesting roots-blues composition, utilizes some kind of recording technique that gives the track a 78-rpm "grammy" (gramophone) sound. I found confusing the first-person reference to cocaine, as the story seems centered more on a second party's submissive demeanour towards a violent third-party abuser, described in Sinnicks' politically-charged zinger, "You lay down like a Democrat drawbridge again". Steve has retained the instrumental and production services of Michael J. Birthelmer, along with Shelley Woods and Mike Daley, all of whom performed on Sinnicks' Slow Learner CD. He is also supported here by Steve Strongman (of Plasticine). I can just imagine the lyrical buffoonery that would result if Steve Sinnicks were to collaborate collectively with Sebastian (Seb) Agnello (Toronto) and Rob Moitoza (Seattle) in a musical version of political satire along the lines of "Second City", "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" or "Saturday Night Live". N.B. Steve Sinnicks has now released a third CD, "If You Want the Genie, Don't Rub the Lamp", which features a totally new (other than Shelley Woods on bass) cast of supporting players, including Big Eddy and the Trailer Park 5, Les Cooper, Gerry Gregg, Randall Hill, Carl Petzelt, the latter who mixed and mastered the effort, along with George Guerra. Go to www.sinnicks.com for more info. |
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