Baker, Kurt: Play It Cool (Vinyl LP)

I only have respect for one monarchy, and that's the power-pop monarchy; Paul Collins has occupied its throne for at least four decades. King Paul I, along with his co-religionists, announced his intentions with that essential EP recorded by The Nerves in 1976, and later staged a coup d'état with The Beat's debut LP, laying the foundations of the new regime: melodies, choruses, and sharp guitars wrapped in ermine. After a few years of absence, the monarch returned in top form to defend his scepter and thus continue a reign of musical prosperity. Until now. A young man from Portland, Maine, threatens to usurp the throne from King Paul I. This young man with an infectious smile and undeniable talent presents his third studio album. Watch out, King Paul, here comes Kurt Baker.

Our contender for the throne has proven to be a talented and prolific man, whose adventures in the world of rock 'n' roll began when he was just 15 years old and decided to found his first band, The Leftovers. In 2010, Kurt Baker embarked on his solo career, giving us a stunning album in 2011, Rockin' For A Living, which established him as the best power pop musician of his generation. Far from settling in, Kurt hasn't stopped playing, composing, recording, and collaborating on new projects. After the release of his second LP,  Brand New Beat, he settled in Spain, beginning a musical frenzy that has seen him combine his work with three bands: Kurt Baker Combo, Bullet Proof Lovers, and The New Trocaderos. In addition to all that, he collaborates with his friend Kris Rodgers' band, performs countless concerts (in all formats and with its multiple lineups), works as a DJ wherever he's needed, teaches guitar classes at his peculiar rock school, and still finds time to enjoy time with his friends and make life a party with his endless smile wherever he goes.

Play It Cool is his third studio album, following the live LP Muy Mola Live!, and represents the definitive consecration of this monster, who returns to the sound of Brand New Beat and enriches it with new nuances, and above all with a more energetic sound that transports us directly to his magnificent concerts. This new release is a work produced by Wyatt Funderburk, his friend and main producer, who actively collaborates in the content and execution of the LP, an album in which Kurt surrounds himself with excellent musicians, and best friends, such as Geoff Palmer and Kris Rodgers (guitar and keyboards of The Connection), Adam Cargin (drummer of Screeching Weasel), and the aforementioned Funderburk on guitar.

Play It Cool is much more than a power pop album; it's a work that exudes new wave, with a scent of glam rock and an aftertaste of the pop and rock of the late 70s and early 80s. Play It Cool is, quite simply, a rock 'n' roll album, which is saying something. "Send Me To Mars" is the opening track, the only cover on the LP, a Wild Hearts smash that moves you from head to toenails; it's a pleasure to start an album like this. Eleven tracks follow, featuring outstanding guitar work and a production that perfectly captures the energy Kurt and his band exude live. Kurt Baker's vocal timbre continues to recall early Costello, and some of the songs on this album evoke the magnificent "Armed Forces," such as "Enough's Enough" and "Prime Targets." But "Play It Cool" is a multifaceted album, as we've already announced, with a strong personality but with many edges, in which there is room for the forcefulness of Slade, in songs like "Doin' It Right", the melody of Cheap Trick, examples of which can be found in "I Got You" or "Monday Night" (a true anthem), the energy of bands like The Knack, which can be seen in "Can't Say No" or "Play It Cool", the contagious charm of Bubblegum Music or the early Beatles, present in "Talk Is Talk" and "I Can't Wait", and even the eighties sound of Huey Lewis, in "Back for Good". These, and surely many more that you will discover, dear listener, are some of the sonic coordinates of "Play It Cool", the album with which Kurt Baker threatens the global sovereignty of power pop.

1. Sends Me To Mars
2. Enough's Enough
3. I Got You
4. Just A Little Bit
5. Monday Night
6. Can't Say No
7. Play It Cool
8. Talk Is Talk
9. Doin' It Right
10. Prime Targets
11. Back For Good
12. I Can't Wait
13. Thanks Goodness Is Friday