Talk about prolific. Santa Fe, New Mexico native Guy Grogan has released nine albums since 2010. His latest, Dynamite Bouquet, continues his tradition of making pop music that fuses rock, jazz, and a bit of country, just to name a few styles. Those his influences run the entire pop spectrum, the focal point, at least on this album, seems to be the ‘90s, though it doesn’t all sound dated.
That being said, the first two tracks, “My Own Way Out” and “Metafixation” do have a ‘60s vibe, which isn’t surprising since he interned at Ardent Studios in Memphis run by former Big Star drummer Jody Stephens.
Grogran twangs it up though on “River Like a Cry,” which also has a ‘60s backbeat and vocals, but would be perfectly at home on contemporary alternative radio. A pleasant surprise is the keyboard flavoring in the chorus.
A song like “Pseudo Euphoria,” on paper, seems like it might be very psychedelic, but in practice is a straight-ahead power pop number. Grogan gets a more moody, and slightly jazzy on “Moonbird” with its slightly bluesy guitar and brushed snares.
The pace picks back up with “Waterfalls” which seems like the best candidate for a single if there is to be one. With a nice vocal hook and steady tempo, it bounces along nicely. It stands out, but not too far out in front of the other nine tracks. It’s an even presentation, without a lot of peaks and valleys. There are no throwaway tracks, but beyond “Waterfalls,” there’s not a lot to grab on to. Of course with all of the genres present, there’s likely something for everyone.
PF Wilson has been writing about music, TV, radio, and movies for over 20 years. He has also written about sports, business, and politics with his work appearing in Cincinnati CityBeat, The Houston Press, Cleveland Scene, Cincinnati Magazine, Cincy Magazine, Atomic Ranch, and many more. Check out his podcast PF’s Tape Recorder available from Podbean or in iTunes.