Goldmine
review:
MIKE GIBBINS "More Annoying Songs"
(CDMG02)
So what are the chances for one of the
only two surviving members of a band that disbanded more than 25 years
ago---and the band's drummer no less--- launching a comeback on a small indie
label from his home in Orlando, Fla.? At the outset, the prospects wouldn't
appear too promising. Still, you have to hand it to Mike Gibbins. Despite the
well-publicized tragedies and travails he endured with Badfinger, he's still
making his music with the enthusiasm of a kid half his age. More Annoying
Songs, Gibbins' follow-up to his 1998 solo debut, A Place In Time, belies its
title via a surprisingly engaging effort. With Gibbins effectively handling
vocals, drums and occasional keyboards and co-conspirator Rick Warsing
providing some fiery fretwork, they deliver a surprisingly solid set of songs.
As an added treat, Ron Griffiths -- who played with Gibbins in his
pre-Badfinger band, The Iveys -- also drops by to sing backup on two of these
tunes. That's not the only link to the past, however.  Like
Badfinger in its earliest incarnation, his mostly melodic rockers take a bow
to The Beatles, particularly in the cosmic coda linking "Dream On"
and "Fall To Pieces" and the echoed vocals that give "Hold On
To Your Dream" an atmospheric effect reminiscent of John Lennon's solo
style. There is also a similarity in style to latter-day Badfinger; songs such
as "Chains" and "Fall To Pieces" could pass for outtakes
from Ass or Airwaves, the latter an album made long after Gibbins left the
fold. However, he's also willing to venture away from the more familiar
terrain, as evidenced in "Dirty Old Bugger," a pretty baroque
ballad-turned-wicked rocker, and the upbeat blues of "Two By Two."
More Annoying Songs? Hardly. Give us this kind of irritation anytime. --Lee
Zimmerman
Purchase
"more annoying songs"
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