So much has been written and said recently about Joe Armstrong that recaps are overkill. We've all heard the stories of his on-stage performances with a dagger clenched between his teeth, his courtship of one of the Bush daughters (he won’t say which), the weapon charges, and the illegal freedom concert in North Korea. Prior to all that buzz Joe Armstrong was relatively unknown until his break-in to the Kennedy Space Compound for history's first rock performance on a launch pad. And I think that’s perfect place to start talking about the new album. Early versions of songs recorded on a 4 track from the interior of a Florida prison tell what must have been Joe's thoughts while performing on the aforementioned launch pad: stars, moons, suns, flying machines, the emptiness of space, and the preciousness of earth. In the end everything from the rocket ship on the cover to songs like Heaven, Seven More Stars, Free, and Intending to Fly speak of a man not interested in the pabulum of keeping one's feet on the ground. Sure there are plenty of songs about girls and cuts filled with social commentary and movie references but that all ties into one central image: the image of a heart and soul ready to launch through the atmosphere and burn brightly for others to see. And as the imagery of the songs soar so do the guitars, drums, and keyboard tracks. Spend four minutes and thirty three seconds with a track like Free or blow out your speakers on Little Angel and try to argue that Joe's sites weren't set on the Moon. And what's more amazing is the fact that he might have overshot and landed on Mars.

A dozen songs, running the gamut from the steadfast rock of the first two tracks “Heaven” and “JL Havenot,” the yearning individualistic humanism of “I Believe” and “Free,” the pastoral yet plaintive lyricism of “Mile to Go” and “Seven More Stars,” the nostalgic teen summer lust of “Try to See it My Way” and the wisdom of strained relationships in “Nothing Left to Say” and “This Time Around” to the balls out barroom rock of “Anything for You” and the epic sounds “Little Angel” and “Intending to Fly” make up Joe Armstrong’s impressive second record Silverface Champs. One of the things I long for more of in modern rock/pop music is the superb writing and musicianship of such bands as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival or Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band. Armstrong’s record has it in spades. He and his accomplished band perform the music with skill, care and gusto, allowing each track the room to breathe and last as long as the given song calls for (2:38 for “Miles to Go” up to 7:03 for “Little Angel”). Armstrong is conscious of the flow of a record for the listener, and has done a fine job of sequencing the record so the songs have a natural progression from start to finish. He also seems to be a fan of splitting a record into sides ala the great vinyl LP rock records, as “Little Angel” feels very much like the end of “Side A.” The record is full of strong songs and standout tracks, a testament to the thought involved in the writing, composition, performance and recording. There’s a term for it. The record is full of what is lacking in much of today’s pop music: song craft. The songs have a timeless feel, reminiscent of Tom Petty’s work. They could exist as new rock music from any of the past three decades of rock and roll and stand the test of time. While it’s difficult to pick a favorite, undoubtedly the pinnacle track is “Little Angel.” This one song is enough to place Armstrong amongst the pantheon of creators of truly great rock songs. Rarely does a song come along that the first time you hear it, you know it will be a classic. If you like solid American rock n roll, you could do much worse than to pick up a copy of Silverface Champs.

this is one of the BEST albums I have ever heard!! Technically sound and the mixture of different styles of music along with some stirring choir like voices and moving orchestral accompaniment with the usual hard rock flair, this is one album that is a keeper!! I especially like track #9 "Free" and "Little Angel" Also listen to "Intending To Fly" A lot of work into the production of the CD, and Joe Armstrong makes the words and the messages of this album his!!

Silverface Champs is one of those albums you should definitely add to your record collection. Joe has uniquely taken a mixture of soulful sounds and orchestral string tracks and mixed it in with the classic rock sound his band makes and has created a masterpiece. The signature song "Free" makes this point well known. Listen to other tracks like "Little Angel" and "Intending To Fly" This album will be a mainstay in my collection and I hope yours as well!!