Wisconsin-based Curt Mychael (http://www.curtmychael.com) produces pop in the classic sense of the word. In other words, his idea of pop music isn’t really what you hear too often on commercial radio today, that type of artificially sweetened and soulless rubbish. Rather, Mychael aims for the crystalline melodicism of the Beatles, Billy Joel, and Todd Rundgren. Pretty stellar comparisons for such a youthful looking man, but the similarities cannot be denied.
The upbeat keyboards and sing-along chorus of “Sunnyside” (“I’m gonna search every corner for you/I’m gonna find the Sunnyside of you”) establishes Mychael’s playful craftsmanship. It’s a happy tune that the world would appreciate it right now in these days of economic turmoil and war fatigue. Mychael proves that the purpose of pop music isn’t to promote materialistic goals; it’s to put a smile on our faces. “Bones,” the most engaging track on the CD, rocks slightly harder, reminiscent of Matthew Sweet’s retro-rock bubblegum of the early ‘90s. The hook-laden guitar riffs on “Bones” would’ve slain AOR stations a few decades ago before all of the noise took over.
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Mychael’s slower numbers, such as “My Moon Your Sun” and the piano ballad “My Life,” echo the influence of Duncan Sheik, who has seemed to have slipped from the radar the past couple of years. However, Mychael is more versatile than Sheik and many of the male singer/songwriters active today. “Florence Knows” is silky, sophisticated FM pop a la Steely Dan while “Circus Nite” has the twisted sway of the Eels. Every cut here has something going for it, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mychael landing on a few radio charts soon with impeccable songs like these.
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