Never Enough

The title track of the fourth album from Jon Pousette-Dart's band is actually a cover of Robin Lane & the Chartbusters' "When Things Go Wrong," reetitled "Never Enough," but more than that, it's a reworking with different lyrics. Lane's 3-song EP on manager Mike Lembo's Deli Platter Records was a phenomenon in the New England region in the late '70s. This song was also the title track of her 1980 Warner Bros. debut recorded by Helen Reddy producer Joe Wissert. Pousette-Dart Band's version reunites them with Norbert Putnam, who oversaw their first two Capitol discs. It is an extraordinary glimpse at how a great melody failed to make the Top 40, recorded differently by two important artists, who themselves failed to make the national Top 40 with any of their discs. Like their contemporary Andy Pratt, these performers contributed much to music and got little in return. The second track, "Silver Stars," is a wonderful instrumental by guitarist John Curtis, but the album's highlight is "For Love," a tune by David Finnerty, leader of Atlantic's the Joneses, who actually did hit the Top 40 in 1975 with a band called the Road Apples and their tune "Let's Live Together." Finnerty's "For Love," as performed by Jon Pousette-Dart, is so commercially viable for this point in time that it is a sin it got only minor airplay. It is as substantial as Orleans or Firefall, more creative and dynamic than what the Eagles were doing in the same format. The first and only Jon Pousette-Dart title on side one is "Cold Outside," which brings horns into the mix; it, and bassist John Troy's arrangement of the traditional "Hallelujah I'm A Bum," are country funkish numbers -- adequate, but not as strong as the first three tracks. Pousette-Dart's co-write "Long Legs" opens side two, but that honor should have gone to "The Loving One," a lilting pop tune by Pousette-Dart, with his gifted voice gliding over the keys and percussion. Marc Aramian's composition, "We Never Give Up," thankfully continues the tradition of pop that Pousette-Dart is so comfortable with. The band has a knack for adding polish to these strong hooks, more evidence that this fourth album was a real contender. With management by New England's legendary promoter Don Law, son of record producer Don Law, Sr., the group had the connections and the talent to really make their mark. "Cheated" is another poppy tune by the band leader, leaning a bit more toward the country side of the group that was their foundation, something they significantly embellished with funk and pop. That is most evident in the John Curtis original "Gotta Get Far Away," which ends the album. Jon Pousette-Dart performed at the Paradise Theater in Boston towards the end of 2000 with Jon Hall of Orleans and Jonathan Edwards of the group Orphan. It was their first appearance ever as a trio live -- promoting their cover of War's "Why Can't We Be Friends" released on Rounder Records that year. The performance highlighted how important the music on this album is, and that Jon Pousette-Dart is viable a couple of decades after creating this and the three other releases on Capitol. ~ Joe Viglione