I was first introduced to Utah-based band SweetHaven after hearing the amazing song "Go Back" on the DVD of the 2003 Latter-day Saint comedy "The R.M." starring Mormon cinema heartthrob Kirby Heyborne.
So when I heard SweetHaven had just released their first full-length, self-titled debut album, I was excited to hear it, especially since they're named after Popeye's hometown.
I wasn't disappointed. SweetHaven, out on Echo Ridge Records, is a pop-a-riffic treat full of relationship-oriented songs. And they even included the aforementioned "Go Back."
The band - singer Matt Mattson, guitarists Trevor Hill and Gentry Lee, bassist Seth Wilks and drummer John Buckner -- have an ear for enjoyable melodies and delicious harmonies, in a way that brings to mind some of the AM pop stuff that was all the rage back in the 1970s.
Yet, they have a wicked sense of humor and witty lyrical sensibility that reminds me a bit of Barenaked Ladies or even Smash Mouth. Opening song "Tonic" is a Weezer-esque, up-tempo alterna-pop song that would sound great on radio and would sound even better played driving down the highway with the top down.
"Have you seen my front lawn? / It's a work of art / Have you heard my hit song? / It's so hot it's off the charts / Lay down your arms, the war's over, it's time to go home," sings Mattson on "Grew Young."
"You are a bomb, but I can't defuse you," singer Mattson tells a girl, over a jaunty beat on "Cannonball (XOXO)."
"Do That" starts out with a John Mayer-styled riff and Mattson singing about a girl he had tried to dump but is ultimately unable to escape.
"No Answer" is a classy pop song, not unlike the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home." Flourishes of mandolin by Lee and accordion from guest musician Clive Romney are appealing and appropriate and enhance the song, as do the vocal harmonies.
The tambourines and hand claps on the amusing "German Goodbye" will get you smiling and tapping along.
Mattson reminds me of Gary Portnoy singing the theme song from "Cheers" ("Where Everybody Knows Your Name") on the final track "Vending Machine." In fact, Mattson should consider a career in singing TV theme songs and commercial jingles. I hear the pay is pretty sweet.
And after "Vending Machine" wraps up, make sure that you wait for the hidden track that the SweetHaven boys recorded in an enlightened and childlike moment.
SweetHaven is an album showcasing a band that is unafraid to embrace classic pop music structures. Good for them. I have a feeling it will take them far.
5 tocks
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