Chris Cacavas

Chris Cacavas' solo debut contains some of the most enduring songs of his career, from the jangle rock of "Driving Misery" to the mean blues of "I Didn't Mean That." Paisley Underground pal Steve Wynn guides Cacavas and his clutch of L.A. musicians through these ten melody-soaked, lyric-intensive neo-roots rock songs. "Blue River" is an intentional wink to "Ode to Billy Joe," and Crazy Horse echoes throughout "Load of Me," but neither song suffers from the weight of its influences. In fact, only "Four Corners USA" gets stuck in a rut, suffering from the ever-popular mid-'80s disease of R.E.M. imitation. Cacavas is best when he sticks to his own winning and wry singer/songwriter style. The digitally remastered reissue has five bonus tracks, all solo demos from 1988. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide