the Glitter Kicks - "Love Everything"
Iconoclastic Pop Recordings

Well, this is pure pop pleasure for your ear drums. Wonderfully silky vocals by Ms. Freeland just about make me shiver in aural pleasure. Okay, maybe not quite, but they are very lovely.

This is pretty much basic pop - simple verse-chorus-verse stuff - but done so well and with the right accompaniment that it turns out extremely well, and very enjoyably so.

I fully enjoyed this CD and it got quite a bit of play-time in my CD player. Those same vocals that make me shiver, however, do lose some of their effect over the duration of the disc, as they don't exhibit as much variety as one might hope for. The only really different song on this disc, vocally, is "Fourth of July" with its slightly distorted vocals that fade in and out.

The adding of keys and piano really help flesh out Love Everything and balance out the lack of vocal variation. The keys and fuzz guitar that start out "Sticks & Stones" immediately catch your ear and pull you into the song, and the piano fade on "Killing Today" brings the song to a pleasant close.

The music on this disc is well composed with thought provoking lyrics, well performed, and well produced by Mr. Rose. It's a very fun (even in its most angstful moments) party sort of disc that’s sure to liven up any social gathering. It’s nice and mellow enough that you can enjoy it quietly while relaxing, but rocking enough that you can really get into while driving. I have tested both these theories myself, and can vouch for them quite safely.