Kelley Stoltz - 'Below the Branches' (Sub Pop) Released 13/02/06

San Francisco do-it-yourself musician Kelley Stoltz gained critical acclaim in Britain with his first album 'Antique Glow', released by the Beautiful Happiness label in 2003. The album made it into Mojo's top 40 albums of 2004. A European tour followed in the spring of 2005 and Stoltz became firmly established as a big success waiting to happen.  Interestingly, Stoltz' last album was a word for word cover of Echo and the Bunnymen's, 'Crocodiles'. Despite the strange choice, that album also had the press making positive sounds as they eagerly awaited his next personal offering.

'Below the Branches' lives up to expectations. Stoltz obviously has a talent for imitation. He is not afraid to borrow the sounds of other artists and for this album he switched from using guitar, his 'main song writing tool' in the past, to piano. This decision, whether it was made with his chosen inspirations in mind or not, has enabled him to create a refreshing album that recreates the sound of a sixties summer. 

The two standout tracks borrow their styles from sixties legends, but in this case imitation is no bad thing. On 'Ever Thought of Coming Back' Stoltz reproduces so perfectly the manner of the Beach Boys famous harmonies, that on first listening you arent quite sure if you're hearing a newly discovered offering from the famous surf bums. On Memory Collector Stoltz repeats this pleasant feat of facsimile, the track thriving on the simple McCartneyesque elegance of his upbeat piano and happy vocals.

These two songs are the best of the bunch but Crowded into his bedroom by a gang of encroaching instruments, including pianos, drums and toy xylophones (apparently) Stoltz has managed to create a pop symphony. The classic pop stylings permeate the whole album creating something that is at once classic and original. It is astonishing that Stoltz is the solo creator of this album, which will be the perfect accompaniment to the sunny summer evenings.