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When endeavoring to craft a review of a pop album that is built around acoustic piano and male voice, it\u2019s nigh on impossible to avoid mention of Elton John<\/strong>, Ben Folds<\/strong>, Billy Joel<\/strong> and Bruce Hornsby<\/strong>. So there: I\u2019ve gotten that out of my way.<\/p>\n But not, alas, out of my system. The self-titled album from William Cleere + the Marvelous Fellas <\/strong>doesn\u2019t shy away from the comparisons, yet Cleere has a style of his own. \u201cHow Do You Learn to Go On?\u201d is a slow, elegiac ballad that would have fit nicely on Tumbleweed Connection<\/em>; for most of its runtime it\u2019s just Cleere and his piano, but in the final minute or so, crashing drums and measured bass lines up the emotional ante.<\/p>\n \u201cLabor Day\u201d mines a more conventional pop vein, though it too sounds like vintage Elton in his prime, albeit with an easy, unforced vocal delivery. Karla Kane<\/strong> (Agony Aunts<\/strong><\/a>) lends her lovely pipes to the song, evoking Elton\u2019s hit pairing with Kiki Dee<\/strong>. (Fun fact: the album was recorded live-in-the-studio on Labor Day.)<\/p>\n An ambitious, swinging jazzy feel is the focus of \u201cSide Effects.\u201d The piano lines race along, aided and abetted by Khoi Huynh<\/strong>\u2019s (Agony Aunts again!) muscular, precise bass work. Cleere places glissandos for maximum effect. Charlie Crabtree<\/strong>\u2019s assertive, inventive yet understated drum work propels \u201cKara,\u201d a track on which Cleere displays his vocal range as well as (yet again) his keyboard chops. Cleere has a knack for building songs that have a sing-along vibe to them, yet still offer enough in the way of compositional flourishes to make them multi-layered.<\/p>\n \u201cHigh Flying Bird\u201d takes the listener back to Elton-land again, with a melancholy feel reminiscent of \u201cCandle in the Wind\u201d (the original, not that cheesy \u201cPrincess Diana\u201d remake.) Choir-like backing vocals add just the right touch. The showy \u201cThe Girl From NYC\u201d sounds \u2013 and is arranged \u2013 like the sort of thing one might hear and see on an off-Broadway production aiming for that mythical\/never-was 50s style. It\u2019s also the rockingest track on the disc so far: Huynh\u2019s almost playing Entwistle-style lead bass here.<\/p>\n \u201cSoul\u201d slows things back down, and Cleere\u2019s accompanists craft their parts to showcase the piano and solo vocal. Cleere\u2019s left hand spends a lot of time in the piano\u2019s lower register, and Huynh does an ace job of staying out of his way while still offering support. \u201cLeaves\u201d is even slower and sparer, opening up an arrangement that delivers a warm, expressive reading from Cleere. The song builds in emotional content as it unfolds.<\/p>\n On the wordy \u201cShoes,\u201d Cleere and his pals outdo themselves in the uptempo department. Forgive the endless Elton comparisons, but this track feels a lot like \u201cLove Lies Bleeding\u201d without the angst and heartbreak. Some dissonant and suspended chording from Cleere adds a welcome edge. A dramatic big finish suits the song perfectly.<\/p>\n William Cleere + the Marvelous Fellas wrap things up with the lovely \u201cGoodnight Moon.\u201d Here they conjure thoughts of — of all things \u2013 Bob Seger<\/strong> at his most thoughtful crossed with Jackson Browne<\/strong> at his most restrained. Perhaps the strongest melody on the disc (and that\u2019s saying something), \u201cGoodnight Moon\u201d offers a compelling lyric as well. Karla Kane\u2019s honeyed harmony vocal adds a lump-in-the-throat feel to round out the disc.<\/p>\n Special mention should be made about the dependably crystalline production by Allen Clapp<\/strong> (The Orange Peels<\/strong><\/a>) and understated support on guitar from KC Bowman<\/strong>. Those Bay Area folks down there at Mystery Lawn have their own modern-day Wrecking Crew<\/strong>-in miniature. More, please. And soon.<\/p>\n
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