May Street Project, The [ECD]

Though she does not look to be much older than the overwhelming (and underwhelming) horde of pop princesses in 2001, Shea Seger writes and performs with a much more mature grasp of pop history and musical technology. Taking a handful of styles and influences, Seger makes a powerful musical fist in which tight drumheads and technical tools warp and weave with contemporary and classic passages in a varied baker's dozen of melodies. The easily remixable club pop of "Clutch" comes across as Olivia Newton-John singing David Bowie. "Wasting the Rain" continues the Ziggy Stardust vibe with a "Sound + Vision" lyrical lick. "I Can't Lie" mixes Bowie, Blondie, Bonnie Raitt, and Janis Joplin in a down-home, hand-clappin' porch rocker which reveals the homey imperfections of the song's professed "perfect world." While "Walk on Rainbows" is a thin singer/songwriter poem reminiscent of Ellis Paul or Patty Griffin, while "Twisted" rips and screams with the full fury of Alanis Morissette. "Shatterwall" has sampled voices of old people reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, "Blind Situation" slinks along like a Talking Head between interruptive rap breaks, and the title source track takes more than a little from Bob Seger. Interludes such as the redundant (and greatly unnecessary) breakbeat loop "Rooftop Animals" and guest spots by Pharrell Williams (the Neptunes) and a Paul Young/Ray Davies-esque Ron Sexsmith further complicate the task of defining Seger's sound, but each part of this Project makes for quite a tuneful work of craft. ~ Matthew Robinson|