Houston, TX-based singer/songwriter Dodd Michael Lede (http://www.acousticoutlaw.com) really doesn't have much of the South in him. Anybody expecting a straightforward roots-rock or alt country record will not have their expectations met. Instead, Lede's music is commercial pop/rock with the meat and potatoes heartland America flavours of John Cougar Mellencamp and Bob Segar. And don't let anybody tell you that there's anything wrong with that.
Lede's vocals brim with charisma and self-confidence; this is no unfocused young pup at the wheel. You can feel the belief that Lede has in his material. He delivers each line, even the cliched ones, with conviction and energy. On "I Don't Belong," Lede's chunky, Mellencamp-ish guitar riffs produce delightfully nostalgic flashbacks of '80s AOR stations. The easily digestible pop sensibilities of "I Don't Belong" make it the pick to click for newcomers.
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But perhaps what's the most intriguing about "Sophomore Jinx" are its surprise moves. For example, on "Man on a Chain" and "Irresistible," synthesizers are tossed more prominently into the mix. Back in the '80s it was almost required to hear keyboards blended so dramatically with the guitars, something that was trashed a decade later. Hearing that again is truly refreshing and adds spice to Lede's tunes.
Lede counts ZZ Top and Willie Nelson as among his inspirations, but the influences I hear are more contemporary: Train. The Gin Blossoms. Dishwalla. Fans of those musicians will get a kick of this record.
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