What do you say an album that is simply packed with great pop songs? I say, buy it! I got hooked on Bangalore, and blown away by Black Saturday. A thoroughly enjoyable ride from start to finish.  Ten toes way up!
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First, I freakin' love this CD. Now, a little about me. I'm not a sucker for pop in it's traditional sense. 
I love catchy melodies (who doesn't?) but I don't have a tendency to put on an Archies record while 
I'm sitting around the house or driving in my car. It's nice and all but pop for pops sake is not my 
thing. Not only is this CD a catchy, pop filled, crash course in classic song writing but it has the 
kind of depth to keep you listening for ages. 

Musically speaking Vanilla's first CD is an amazing accomplishment but lyrically I think Jayson 
really shines. With sort of a natural, unpretentious poetry, Mr. Jarmon reveals some honest and 
intriguing imagery.I know that most songs are not literally autobiographical statements but 
listening to the CD I feel like I have an idea who Jayson Jarmon is. Personally, I like that. He 
has invested himself in his music and the payback is large. Even if the characters in these songs 
are totally fabricated they feel real. Bandmates Scott MacPherson, Sean Gaffney and Dana Simms 
help Jayson create a very full sonic pallette visiting many styles of popular music and nailing them 
all to the wall. Scott and Sean even sing several songs giving the album a true ensemble quality. 

The whole CD is very enjoyable but here are some quick highlights for me: "Cabernet" is like the 
Raspberrys or Cheap Trick with a soul. "Liar's Club" is gorgeous. Everybody has that group of friends 
and that period of time in there lives that is so special. Like so many great songs I feel like this one 
was written for me. I surely wish I had written it! I feel like "E9" is sort of a companion peice to it and 
though it has a different groove inspires a similar soul warming nostalgia. "Grand Teton", a song about
a road trip, sports one of my favorite lines "Big ball of string. The chicken and the waffles the midget 
brings." Gotta love it. "Don't Count On Me" is my favorite of the religious themed trio and "Two Weeks 
Notice" is just fucking poetry in song. Brilliant.
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I've heard of the arrival of this band "Vanilla" through the advent of Audities list, so I was prepared for a new pop album with Beatles/Queen/Wings influence. I was also aware of the connection of this band to that of "Tiny Volcano", yet another  new band that had made my top 5 list of 2003 with they're debut. The cd finally arrived, and all I have to say is "buy this cd NOW"! Top-shelf, a to z, fantastic melodies, witty lyrics ....this is exactly like kind of record I hope to find at least once a year, and I found it with Vanilla. I will be listening to this one for awhile.
I could go on and on and fill up the entire page with song by song reviews (which I wouldnt mind doing), but I'll keep the praise to a minimum.
Thanks guys!
Really apprecite this fine CD!
Gimme more soon!!!
Any back log by chance?
Mike Reed
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This CD is full of witty and unique lyrics and sing-along melodies. The performances are excellent, the production lively. It's a lot of fun to listen to. "Don't Count on Me" sounds like a timeless classic that could be performed by many different artists. I think it's going to make its author very rich someday! And I can't get "Cabernet" out of my head with it's very McCartney-esque melody. Lovers of catchy, smart pop will adore this CD.
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