Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers Live at the Beachcomber

Event: 8112

'This Massachusetts band has assembled a firm national fan base one nightclub at a time, and for its fifth album--the first paid for by someone else--Stephen Kellogg doesn’t alter the prescription that got them here: another original assortment of folk-rock anthems and modern pop jingles that are quintessentially adult radio-ready. Nodding to pacesetters Counting Crows ("Maria") and Matchbox 20 ("Anthem of Our Discovery"), Kellogg is aided by members of Dispatch and Whiskeytown and producer Andy Zulla (Rod Stewart/Jessica Simpson), who siphons energy into 11 songs, including four re-recorded from the Kellogg annals, such as the boyfriend-becomes-stalker sing-a-long "You’ve Changed" and the Loudon Wainwright-like strummer "See You Later, See You Soon." With a flair for penning can’t-get-the-girl, cry-in-your-beer scripts--intermittently dusted with solemn turns--Kellogg’s songs are ripe for his glossy, impassioned vocals. There’s nothing earthshaking or groundbreaking here. Just a safe, solid and tuneful effort that sounds like the radio, and should be on it." --Scott Holter