By Tom Lydde

John Lukashevich, AKA Johnny L., makes his solo debut with Brain Pop. The long time guitarist for The Slugs shows that he can write a catchy tune of his own and he's not a bad lead vocalist to boot. This is a strong collection of suprisingly original, energetic pop songs that doesn't immediately bring to mind a comparison. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Johnny L. has found a completely original sound but he has taken a variety of influences and fused them into a rather consistent writing style. This is no easy feat and it shows a level of maturity on his part. Combine this with great performances all around and an excellent production job by the late Phil Bonnet and you walk away with a real winner.

Favorites from Brain Pop include "I Should Know", "Chameleon Street", "December Day" and "Phoenix". "December Day" is also noteworthy because it strays from the guitar, bass, drums format by adding a trombone melody performed by Eric Coliendo. "Three Hundred" is another standout on the disc and sports a strong vocal performance by Johnny.

Johnny L. is backed on all but one track by drummer Bill Csontos whose playing in every case is tight and crisp. Gregg Juhlin from The Slugs plays bass guitar on six of the eleven tracks and other Sluggers Mike Halston and Dag Juhlin join in on one track. With the exception of trombone on "December Day", Johnny competently fills in all of the other parts on Brain Pop. This presumably includes all of the backing vocals, which are both prevalent and tasteful.

To sum up. This is a strong collection of pop rock tunes in a well put together package. Well worth looking into.

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