Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Pop-pianist extraordinaire Roger Joseph Manning Jr. has released another scrumptious pop opus with Catnip Dynamite. Full of quirky kazoos and fanciful track titles, Catnip Dynamite should exude total cheesiness and yet it comes across as thoroughly interesting and entertaining. The wide-eyed cheeriness of Manning Jr.’s voice is truly original, while his pop sensibilities are a cross between that of Elton John and classic 70’s TV show themes. If you’re at all familiar with The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, that might give you an idea to the actual sound of Catnip Dynamite, but in truth it’s pretty hard to ‘genre-fy’ this album. The slow ballad “My Girl” is entirely different from the excellently medieval pop of “Tinsel Town”. “Love’s Never Half as Good” is surely the highlight on this album with trippy pianos, while the surfer-friendly and hippie-certified “American Affluenza” are also sure to please.

Get yourself a copy of Catnip Dynamite. The album art is awesome, so if that convinces you…

Listen to “Love’s Never Half as Good” (4.8/5)

Listen to “American Affluenza” (4.5/5)