Pigeonomics

With an ear for '60s-style melodies and a penchant for the warmer aspects of psychedelia, AKA makes pop music that could really come from any decade. The electronica touches (drum machines, samples, etc.) are merely flourishes that remind the listener that this was released in 2001, but that really has no bearing on the actual album. The guitar comes right out of the Keith Richards school of swagger, while the songwriting is more spacy and simple than that comparison would suggest. AKA's voice is a soulful instrument that has a little bit of that classic Eric Burdon rasp, but at times he abandons that approach and layers his own voice to create a thin-voiced chorus. Touching on R&B, pop, and classic rock, AKA manages to shape an identity without sticking to a specific genre, making Pigeonomics a bright and engaging record that presents a musician with endless ambition and some good songs to boot. ~ Bradley Torreano|