CHUCK LEE BRAMLET Pooks Road - Cretaceous Records What a gem! We get a lot of CDs in here, so many we can barely open the packages, let alone listen to them. When we hear a good one, what a treat, and I must have listened to this one over 200 times already. This is rock 'n roll in the tradition of Tom Petty and John Fogerty - guitar strumming, great lyrics, band music, with some folksy tunes as well. Chuck came to North Hollywood from Portland, Oregon where he kicked off his solo career as a writer after gigging and recording with The Violets, Lisa Hayes, and Gingersol as a bassist. Stating his main influences as being Nick Drake, Johnny Cash, Roger McGuinn to Otis Redding, Bramlet plays music that is definitely old school, picking up where The Byrds, Moby Grape, and Buffalo Springfield left off. On this 11-track CD, starting with the intro "Pooks Road," the songs take one up and down with killer melodies, some fine strumming, and excellent vocals. Delighted was I to find in the liner notes, after I had already listened to it to death, that Anastasia Newham sings on this project - no wonder it's so good. Drummer Jano Janosik is the only other musician involved, leaving Bramlet on the guitars, bass, lap steel, accordian and Hammond Organ. Although the songwriter claims this selection of songs are "dark," dating back to his time spent in Portland (a dark place), I found the songs to be uplifting, even if they are a little melancholy and undoubtably haunting. The last two cuts, "Long Thin Line," destined to become a great hit, and "St. Johns Bridge" being an instrumental, will send you back to track one to listen to the whole thing all over again. If addictive forming is dark, then yes, this is a very dark work! With more sweetening for airplay, I think Chuck would sell a couple million copies!

I can see, is my personal favorite, but every song relates to the simple beauty of life. Pook's Road touches the heart and soul.