Naked Soul

The sole full-length album by southern California power trio Naked Soul looks, on casual inspection, like just another lame major-label jump on the already overloaded alternative rock bandwagon: The cover art is uninspired, it's not the best band name or album title, and, let's face it, Scotti Bros. is best known for Rick Derringer and Weird Al Yankovic, fine artists who aren't exactly known for their street cred. Seeing this in the bargain remainder bin, the first instinct would probably be to pass it right by. Well, surprise! Naked Soul is the post-M.I.A. project of singer/guitarist Mike Conley, an under-recognized but gifted songwriter with a knack for melodic alt-rock tunes that are neither too overwrought nor obviously facile. Similar to Dinosaur Jr.'s more melodic moments, the best songs by Naked Soul, like the unexpectedly tender "If It's Cool With You" and "You, Me and Jack Kerouac," are powerful, catchy, and tuneful. Jeff Eyrich's production is clean but not antiseptic, without the Nirvana-inspired clichés that ruined a lot of similar albums. (That tired old quiet-loud dynamic is thankfully absent.) Visiting Your Planet is not a classic for the ages, but it's a surprisingly strong album well worth checking out. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide