JIM BOGGIA
Safe In Sound
(bluhammock)
www.bluhammock.com
www.jimboggia.com
You might be tempted to judge Philadelphia pop progeny Jim Boggia in terms of the company he keeps. His latest full-length, Safe In Sound, boasts songwriting collaborations and appearances by Aimee Mann and underground pop legend Emitt Rhodes--who is credited in the ceaselessly entertaining liner notes as one who "has to sing the background vocals he feels, he has to feel the background vocals he sings." Additional folks popping up on Boggia's stunning sophomore effort include Pete Thomas (of Attractions fame), Jill Sobule, and the MC5's Wayne Kramer, who provides a ripping guitar assault to one of the catchiest (and to my knowledge, one of the only) songs ever penned about the revolutionary Weather Underground. But one listen to this well-crafted album and you'll quickly understand that it's not so much the company that Boggia keeps, but the sound that he creates that makes this album so captivating. Whether offering a somber cautionary tale of rock and roll excess like "Where's the Party?" where Boggia raspily intones a la Rod Stewart at his best, or the simple, understated beauty of "Once," or the classic pop-craft of "Let Me Believe" (the stellar co-write with Rhodes), Jim Boggia delivers the sort of intelligent, melodic pop music that ought to be a staple of radio playlists--or at the very least of any discerning listener's collection. -EDWARD BURCH
This review originally appeared in Harp magazine
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