- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Andrew Portz
Album: Blue Lake California
Label: Unsigned
Playtime: 41:22 min
Genre: Pop-Folk
URL:
Rip date: 2009-05-23
Street date: 2008-00-00
Size: 59.50 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 188 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
Just when you have pegged Pennsylvania-based singer/songwriter Andrew Portz
as a mellow acoustic-pop act he overturns your initial observation with the
garage-rock punch and Creedence Clearwater Revival Southern grit of ôSame Old
Story.ö Easily the most rocking number on Blue Lake California, ôSame Old
Storyö is fueled by slashing Neil Young-esque guitar shrapnel and a scathing
attack on how the media exploits domestic tragedies for ratings: ôEarly one
morninÆ in Baton Rouge/With a loaded gun and some work to do/Shot a man down
dead in his tracksàOnly one minute till the camera man/Shows up in a van with
a mic in his hand.ö Portz delivers the stinging narrative with equal helpings
of sneer and sympathy, recalling Tom Petty in his most pissed-off moments.
Blue Lake California is the debut album from this young artist; however,
unlike many opening efforts from new Americana musicians, there are no
underdeveloped tracks on the record. ôDream About the Starsö and ôRoad Tripö
may owe a considerable debt to PettyÆs iconic catalog, especially to his work
beyond the Heartbreakers, but PortzÆ songwriting isnÆt derivative. Portz has
his own voice, and comparisons to Petty are due to obvious surface
similarities such as the use of harmonica and classic-rock chord
progressions. There are two sides to Portz on display in Blue Lake
California: the unplugged and the plugged in. The vintage country leanings of
ôYou and Iö and the plaintive, rootsy balladry of ôI Can Hear Youö embody the
former. On ôI Can Hear You,ö Portz delivers his finest vocal performance; his
singing is thrust in front of the mix, and it is warm and soothing to the
ears, Young without the nasal whine. ôMy Broken Heartö and the aforementioned
ôSame Old Storyö represent his more aggressive style. Neither approach
outshines the other. In fact, probably the best cut on the LP is the dreamy
title track, which features a little of both. Aside from the two-fisted
wallop of ôSame Old Story,ö PortzÆ lyrics rarely venture away from his themes
of heartache and escape, finding solace in his music and witnessing a larger
world unfold around him. These are not revolutionary, life-altering
observations; however, they work well in the context of a hook-driven,
harmony-laden introduction to a promising talent.
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. Dream About The Stars ( 3:01)
02. My Broken Heart ( 3:47)
03. Rollercoaster Ride ( 3:54)
04. You And I ( 3:17)
05. Road Trip ( 4:24)
06. I Can Hear You ( 3:17)
07. Blue Lake California ( 3:38)
08. Goodwill Girl ( 3:43)
09. Something THat's Real ( 3:30)
10. Same Old Story ( 2:53)
11. Turn This World Around ( 5:58)
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