Vox Pop - (Sandbox)

With the likes of The Plimsouls and The Knack coming back to show the way, it's only natural that we hear from those pop champions, The Rubinoos. On the eve of the release of their latest CD comes the "double-dose" effect of Vox Pop, actually three Rubinoos and one Psychotic Pineapple banging out Tommy Dunbar's own brand of pop.

With John Rubin himself not being a participant, the bulk of the vocal chores fall on Al Chan's shoulders. Chan delivers soundly and seems every bit as adept as Rubin in delivering Dunbar's pure pop anthems. Dunbar himself proves that playing this kind of music in no way limits where a guitarist can go. As accomplished as they come Dunbar, through his writing and playing, demonstrates that his vision and direction is as clear now as it was when the first Rubinoos album came out. The man's instincts are solid, making it no wonder that the likes of Kyle Vincent seek out his talents. Rounding out the quartet are Donn Spindt of The Rubinoos on drums and the lone outsider is Pineapple John Seabury - the two making for a terrific rhythm section.

Anyway, on to the world of Vox Pop!

Things get off to a great start with Must Be A Word with it's triumphant guitar and great vocal arrangement. Al Chan gets the opportunity to convince right away, delivering one of the finer vocals here. Ink & Paper also ventures in classic Rubinoos guitar-pop territory, with the hooks firmly in place. Dunbar really gives his guitar a workout on the choppy Trust, co-written with Kyle Vincent. The CD's most unabashed rocker, the choppy rhythm makes the most of the song. The harmonies that we've come to expect from the band really come through on Offer I Can't Refuse, following a more exotic pattern to make the song even more evocative than it already is.

Repossessed shows that Dunbar can still write a pop ballad better than most, with the harmony vocals playing a big part in the song's success. The hypnotic Grey On Grey is even more delicate with the wonderful piano part carrying a lovely melody.

The band ventures into more exotic territory with the fun loving Shanghaied and it's exotic treatment and playful nature. More impressive, though, are the Everly-tinged You Don't Know Her and Home To You, one of the three bonus tracks here. You Don't Know Her has a great country/roots sound to it that will convince you that you're listening to an unreleased Nick Lowe track.

Another of the bonus tracks, Stingray, lets Vox Pop suddenly become Dick Dale disciples while the final bonus track, Rosetta Stone, is just more of the pure pop splendor that we've come to expect from these guys. Include the jazzy Cool & Crazy and the wild Ringo rap at the end and you just can't call Vox Pop a band without a sense of fun.

With Vox Pop and the upcoming Rubinoos CD, 1998 looks to be a milestone year for a band that never seems to lose any of the things that have always made them special!

Claudio Sossi

 Get it at Not Lame!

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