Do Not Drink Cash
She's Not Coming Tonight (Independent)
Lance Whalen
Poppy seeds of future success are growing just down the road in Lexington. I'm referring to the possibility of hearing on pop radio the music of a very talented (and cute, so I'm told) guy named Lance Whalen.
Regardless of what is on the rest of the disc, it seems to me a good idea to put a radio-friendly song up front to get the attention of cruisers and the current bell-bottomed generation. "Coffee Shops (She's not Coming Tonight)" ought to serve that purpose. Right smack in the middle of the disc there is another stab at the airwaves with, "Oh Baby Oh," a sprinting rocker. Otherwise, Whalen gets down to his art and craft. While he won't be mistaken for Michael Stipe, an R.E.M. breeze blows through most of these songs, making for an accessible and overcast 40 minutes of music. Gloom and doom? No way; just a gathering of melancholy tunes, some of which, like "Deep Space/Virgin Sky" and "Say the Things" are excellent slow dancers or reflective strolls. Others rock, such as "Falling Again" and a catchy sing-a-long called "While I'm Away."
Whalen takes an interesting (though not new) approach to recording, as some of these songs were intentionally recorded in unusual environments in order to alter the sound quality. For example, "By Right (High Street Serenade)" was recorded outdoors on a busy street in the winter.
Whalen can be contacted at lancewail@hotmail.com.