CD of the Day, 3/4/08: Ted Lukas-Misled

It's always nice to write about a homeboy. Ted Lukas hails from Tampa, Florida, and is local power pop/alt-country royalty thanks to a resume that includes work in the great 90s band Barely Pink and more recently, the fine alt-country band Hangtown (whose most recent EP is an excellent listen, by the way). Now Lukas is out with his second solo disc, Misled, and it bridges the gap between his two chosen genres with great skill.

"OK with Everything" lets you know that everything will be OK on this disc, as Lukas fires up a rocker that's in the Matthew Sweet meets Steve Earle department; in fact, Lukas' vocals sounds like a cross between Earle and Terry Anderson (he of the Yayhoos and the Olympic Ass-Kickin' Team). The standout track is "Hearts Like Mine", a midtempo rocker with an easy melody and a hint of jangle. Elsewhere, "I Can't Believe" boasts a fresh, poppy chorus; the title track is an excellent roots rocker; and "Static Reaction" closes the disc in fine Pettyesque fashion. No hometown boost needed here - I'd recommend this disc even if Lukas were from Timbuktu or Togo instead of Tampa.

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The Ditchflowers on Not Lame.

Not Lame's latest featured disc is The Ditchflowers' Carried Away. Who are The Ditchflowers? Let Bruce & Co explain:

Well, long time Not Lamers will remember Barely Pink who released 4 mighty fine albums and an EP of classic Cheap Trick inspired power pop in the late 90's and early 00's. Brian Merrill, the leader of that band returns playing in The Ditchflowers along with one Ed Woltil, an unknown in the Not Lame world. Well, not anymore. Woltil is one serious, stunning songwriter, which all you have to do is play one minute of the songs here quickly to confirm.

Barely Pink holds a special place in our hearts here at Absolute Powerpop, since they were a Tampa Bay-area band, and the region is where our global headquarters reside.

In any event, I gave the album a quick listen this afternoon, and it sounds quite good. Hear it for yourself at this special page Not Lame created, with the full album streaming and plenty of bonus goodies if you take them up on their offer. Going to have make it a point to take an Absolute Powerpop field trip to see these guys.