|  Comments:
Late last year I was reading my neighborhood newspaper that included
an article on this local artist. With his music being described
as immersed in the influences of The Beatles and Crowded House my
curiosity had been aroused. It led me to his website to listen to
his audio clips and I was pleasantly surprised with the immediate
likeability of this new artist. Falling somewhere between the singer-songwriter
and power pop genre’s, drenched with melodic hooks “Miscellaneous
Heaven” is instantly likeable and accessible.
The
music is heavily acoustic guitar driven combining elements of ELO’s
Jeff Lynne and the singer-songwriting genre giving it an underlying
folksy tone. Along with some fine keyboard embellishments, Hoskinson
does well to keep the arrangements very interesting. This is best
reflected by the bouncy “I Belong To You” that replaces
a typical guitar or keyboard solo with the trumpet of Dan Clucas.
This is repeated on the bopping “Waiting For Someone To Call”
where the trumpets are even more prominent.
On
the more reflective side there is “Uncharacteristic (It Must
Be You)” which features some fine Jimmy Page influenced guitar
work reminiscent of “Friends” from the “Led Zeppelin
III” album. Once again, Clucas’ trumpet is oddly added
to the song and while unexpected it brings the composition some
originality. The Crowded House influence is heavy here too with
Hoskinson’s vocal work paralleling the Finn brothers as it
does throughout the album.
The
thoughtful perspective continues courtesy of the introspective “When
She Speaks” and “It’s Like Cigarettes”.
This is not to say that John is not capable of energetic numbers
that is evident courtesy of the opening track “I Hope I Die
Before You Do” though the song title is a bit of an oxymoron.
Equal to the task is the semi rocker “She Still Plays Around”.
However, it is clear that Hoskinson is more at home when he leans
on the more tender and timid tones.
Despite
the independent budget of this disc the production does not suffer
with Hoskinson and Joe Ongie doing a fine job. With only minor lyrical
assistance John Hoskinson reveals to us his strength as an all around
performer. Given the right break and exposure John Hoskinson, though
not profoundly original, is nevertheless a breath of fresh air in
the singer-songwriter genre.
Favorite
track: The very melancholy and reflective “It’s Like
Cigarettes.”
Bottom
line: Chockablock full of Beatles and Crowded House influences,
“Miscellaneous Heathen” still has this newcomer’s
indelible signature presenting the singer-songwriter genre at its
poppy best.
Band
line up: John Hoskinson - vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass; Mike
Sessa and Bob Breen - drums; Bob Breen and Eugene Edwards - guitar;
Peter Miller - cello; Dan Clucas - trumpet; Joe Ongie - glockenspiel;
Sara Walsh - bass
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