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Music review: Jeff Whalen – ’10 More Rock Super Hits’

By Clint Rhodes for The 2 min read
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Music review: Jeff Whalen - ’10 More Rock Super Hits’
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Rhodes

As the lead singer of the Los Angeles band Tsar, Jeff Whalen delivered infectious slices of glam rock sprinkled with sugary-sweet pop innocence.

The band’s self-titled release in 2000 and second full-length offering “Band-Girls-Money” in 2005 featured plenty of opportunity for clapping and head swaying on tracks like “Calling All Destroyers,” “Kathy Fong Is the Bomb” and “Wanna Get Dead.”

On his own and left to his own devices, Whalen releases his first solo effort with a title that tells you all you need to know.

With “10 More Rock Super Hits,” Whalen picks up right where Tsar left off by crafting hook-filled tracks that drip with delightful traces of youthful energy and adolescent wonderment.

“Goofing Around” introduces the set with a Fountains of Wayne vibe and its lighthearted message about not taking life too seriously.

“Jendy!” is a peppy love song with a retro style that is suited for repeated jukebox play at the corner soda shop where all the teenagers congregate to dance and enjoy a chocolate malt.

Whalen channels vintage Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander on “The Alien Lanes.” This soaring rocker evokes elements of Cheap Trick’s “I Can’t Take It” and “Invaders of the Heart” from the Todd Rundgren-produced “Next Position Please” from 1983.

Whalen takes a slight left turn on “Shanghai Surprise” with its quirky vaudevillian feel, before quickly transitioning back to the sweet sounds of pop on the love confessional “Don’t Give Up.”

From the perkiness of “Ground Game for Worm” to the savory beat of “Kung Fu Criminal” to the ballad theatrics of “Soylent Blue,” Whalen’s got it all going on.

The title track closes things out with the same bouncy tone that started the festivities and will leave a smile on your face long after the music stops.

On his website, Whalen playfully asks for all to surrender to the Bubbleglam Revolution. I’ve already enlisted. Are you next?

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