Those who cannot wait long enough between Dave Matthews Band albums should definitely aim their eyeballs at Stereopool (http://www.stereopool.com), a three-piece acoustic pop group that can jam and bring the funk as well as they can. Thankfully, Matthews isn't Stereopool's only inspiration; there are traces of John Mellencamp and even Eric Burdon's War.
Vocalist Bob Sima has a Matthews-esque talk-singing style that is nevertheless more bluesy. On the opening cut, "I Don't Know a Soul Here (a.k.a. The Lime Green Song)," the group's strong chemistry becomes clearly evident; these lads can truly groove. Lyrically you want to pay attention to them as well. There's sly wit in some of these tracks as well as interesting observations about human existence.
Without getting pretentious here, there is an intelligence at work in the songwriting of Stereopool. On the surface, it may seem like self-conscious rambing; however, after repeated spins the meaning of the words becomes clearer. For example, "Frozen" is about romantic rejection. "Frozen in the sidewalk is a leaf that's long since dead," Sima sings of his love. The fallen leaf represents decay, but a changing of the season - or, in this case, a life - as well. The woman doesn't love him anymore; however, her memory is stuck in his mind, in his heart, preserved for all time.
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A lot of acts these days try to reach the electrifying acoustic swagger of the Dave Matthews Band without the lyrical smarts to give meat to the bones. Stereopool thankfully give us more to chew on.
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