Barry Russo is asking for it.
Anybody who records a tribute to the '80s as self-consciously cheesy as "Child of the 80s" is going to receive scoffs and will probably be prematurely mislabeled as a novelty artist. But Russo is going to giggle his way to the bank because no other '80s homage - not even Bowling for Soup's "1985" - is as brightly lit, witty, and affectionate as "Child of the 80s." Amid "Kids In America"-era synthesizers, Russo puts on his best Gary Numan cyborg imitation - oddly recalling the bald lead singer of Midnight Oil at times - and moonwalks through a shopping list of Reagan administration nostalgia: "The Karate Kid," Men At Work, Atari, "The Cosby Show," the Buggles, Van Halen, mohawks, and polo shirts.
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"Child of the 80s" is such giddy fun that one ends up longing for more of the same. Thankfully, publicist Michael Sutton's PR prepared me for what is actually a relaxing singer/songwriter album. Nothing else on the record is as quirky; however, it shouldn't discourage people from tuning in. The lovelorn "Are You Listening" is a terrific opening track and has heat-seeking potential as far as commercial radio is concerned; the piano-laden "Walk Away" is also very attractive.
Overall, "These Are The Days" is a solid debut album from an artist who hopefully won't be typecast by '80s nostalgia.
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