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Dick Prall

Weightless

(Authentic; US: 22 Sep 2007; UK: Unavailable)

Coming from a method of songwriting that brings to mind early Tom Petty (or, to a lesser extent, Spoon) Dick Prall crafts fault free melodies that make the listener very eager to find out what’s around the corner. “Halfway to Hollywood” bobs along perfectly while the lighter, folksy “If It Bends” and “Honore” resemble a mash-up of Badly Drawn Boy and Cat Stevens. Prall has an ear for hooks and a voice more than apt to accompany them. However, Prall injects a healthy dose of bombast into portions of “The Cornflake Song” with its string and orchestral flavoring. The same can be said, albeit with less than stellar results on “Boulevard” that sounds like Jack Johnson getting together with the late Michael Kamen. Thankfully Prall nails the hell out of “Side By Side” with its springy step and toe-tapping tempo that will leave some dancing in their chairs. The lone disappointment is the filler “B&W” which is rather dull and tedious.

Rating:

Originally from Cape Breton, MacNeil is currently writing for the Toronto Sun as well as other publications, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, NME.com, Country Standard Time, Skope Magazine, Chart Magazine, Glide, Ft. Myers Magazine and Celtic Heritage. A graduate of the University of King's College, MacNeil currently resides in Toronto. He has interviewed hundreds of acts ranging from Metallica and AC/DC to Daniel Lanois and Smokey Robinson. MacNeil (modestly referred to as King J to friends), a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan, has seen the Rolling Stones in a club setting, thereby knowing he will rest in peace at some point down the road. Oh, and he writes for PopMatters.com.


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