Move----over------Eric Clapton------>
Roger Klug is God.
Roger Klug | Toxic and 15 Other Love
Songs
(Mental Giant, 1998)
Hear thunder last night? See some lightning? Klug was at the local bowling alley, flinging strikes across four lanes of ball traffic, ensuring a fifth straight season win for Terminally In-Love-With-Pop All-Stars. That love match you've been looking to make finally pan out, even after lifelong bliss seemed hopelessly unromantic? Klug shot the love arrow your way, zinging you right in your amore zone. Find a 100-dollar bill in the street today? Klug, again, zapping the luck of the good fortune angel your way.
Well, maybe I've just made all that stuff up and Roger Klug can't really perform such miracles, but I can't help thinking that listening to Toxic and 15 Other Love Songs will nevertheless have a strong, lucky effect on you, resulting in unbelievable good fortune for you and yours.
I know I feel better about nearly everything if this glorious pop confectionery-esque candy sampler is playing in the foreground, background or on the battlefield of life. There have been a lot of great pop albums released in the last couple of years, but not many that are as overly satisfying as Toxic. There's something for everyone here -- something grand, something infectious, something you need even if you didn't know it until now.
Klug gets things in gear, counting down the lead track, Toxic. A Dylan-esquer that pits shakers and an acoustic, folk guitar-like strum against a clever lyrical set-up leads into the first chorus, which lists a number of chemicals that are as toxic as the relationship he's singing about. A constant splash of drums gives the song some kick in the second verse, some electric guitar and strained background vocals give it color, and then, 6:11 gone by, the song is over.
And Klug is just getting started.
On The Way to His Wedding is next, a McCartney-esque romp detailing some poor guy's day of nuptial bliss. It's a toe tapping, percussive piano-powered composition, full of great lyrical twists and, throughout, Klug's expressive voice, which can hold its own background vocal-less, thank you very much.
At Wedding's end, a B chord is repeated over and over, slowing down slowly, segueing into the extremely-clever (as are all of these songs) Nothing Better, the message of which is as clear as a just-cleaned window (like the one through which Klug views the world, no doubt): nothing is better than love. Hey, he says he's seen angels in their bras, but there's nothing better than.
But wait! There's more! Track number four, She's a Singer, is my pick to click, just for its sheer recklessness. Almost with abandon, Klug (who plays all the instruments on this album, except in a couple of instances) beats his drum kit's snare like he/it's at a happy military funeral. I can just see the expression on his face: complete, utter glee, because he knows what's coming, past the power-pop package he's unwrapping mid-tempo. I won't spoil the surprise, but it's really a surprise and you won't see it coming, but you will smile when it hits you at 90 miles an hour.
Good lord, there are treasures to be found on this extremely well recorded album: As You Lay Snoring Next to Me. Who can't relate to that? A gorgeous tune, this one. Dawdling Daughter. She may make Klug late for stuff, but she's precious just the same. Bim Bam Boom. A left-turn into be-bop? Jazz? And then there's the unlisted sixteenth love song. I won't spoil this surprise, either. Note that it's charming, will you?
Hell, the whole damn thing is charming. A skilled musician (equally adept at guitar, drums and the whole lot of 'em), singer and writer, Klug is happening. What? You've never heard of him before? Haven't you been reading this?
Soon, hopefully, you'll be listening to Klug. He's got another CD: Mama, Mama, Ich Bin in Dem La La Land, which features the bim-bam-boom lead off, in your face, impossible to resist rock 'n roll attack, I'd Love to Make You Change Your Mind. The Klug legacy will grow: the man is starting to work on a new album, fired up with passion and great new ideas.
Think about all this the next time you fall in love and get married in the blink of an eye. The next time you're at the local bowling alley and you throw a strike after five or six gutterballs, know that Klug's magic is at work.
Lightning and thunder, anyone?
Alan Haber's Pure Pop is the Internet's premier weekly English language pop music radio
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