| The Second Hand Poets' first release
is a self-titled, three-song effort that appears to have been released in 1998. The band
is mainly comprised of David Thomas (vocals/guitar) and Dan Thomas on guitar. The duo are
very active in the Chicago area coffee house scene and after listening to the CD, I can
understand why. David Thomas has a strong, expressive voice and their material lends
itself very well to an acoustic setting. The CD features a full band, with David and Dan
backed by drummer Dave May and bassist Robb Pomis.
"Shame" and "Waiting for You",
the first two songs on the CD, are very upbeat, jangely guitar oriented pop-rock in the
vein of REM and U2. Unfortunately, the Poets haven't strayed far enough away from either
of these bands to find their own ground. The third song "Break of Day" moves
away from the upbeat rock feel to a slower, more serious tone, but still has a very
familiar sound. This song features some really nice guitar work and David's voice comes
across as moody and reflective. Still, I was unable to really enjoy any of these songs
because of the haunting feeling that I have heard them somewhere before.
These guys are talented players and singers, there
is no doubt about that. From a technical standpoint, the band nails every song and the
production quality is rather good for an independent release. I would like to hear what
the band has been up to in the last few years, hopefully some broader influences have
entered the mix.
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