Album Review: Mark Duda – Bodega Flowers
I’ll be honest: this one confused me. From the Halloween-themed font to the woman on the cover (is that Mark Duda?) And the Japanese(?) lettering, I had no idea at all what to think about this CD. So of course I did what one should do in such cases: play the thing.
Thank goodness. It’s high-powered meat-n-potatoes rock, with echoes of Bruce Springsteen, Asbury Jukes and even a bit of Smithereens. (I know those are all Jersey artists, but as it happens, Duda is based across the river in NYC, and he sounds like it.) Chunky, spirited guitars, gutsy rhythm section, impassioned lead vocals and passionate backing vox. “Ambulance Song” kicks the album off in fiery style, and through the 11 tracks on Bodega Flowers, Duda rarely lets up.
The rhythm guitars have just the right amount of jangle, and the choruses are of perfect length: not Raspberries-short, not Dylan-long. Every song feels like a statement of purpose. Duda wrote all the songs, sings lead and plays guitar.
Yet part of the album’s success doubtless comes from the rhythm section. Kasim Sulton is best known as a member of Utopia and a longtime Todd Rundgren associate, but his extensive and impressive credits go far beyond that. And one overlooked chapter in Sulton’s musical saga is Lights On, a 1986 LP he made with Thommy Price. As it happens, he’s reunited on Bodega Flowers with Price, who plays drums on this record.
Anyway, Bodega Flowers is powerful stuff, the kind of music that one can point to with pride when some wag asserts that rock is dead.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.