Dodd Michael Lede
Sophomore Jinx
Sonic Smack Records
With the recent comeback of Bob Seger, perhaps it’s time for the return of the Texas-styled bar-band rocker. Although his voice isn’t remotely like Seger’s gruff delivery, the country-fueled rock and rhythm of Dodd Michael Lede packs a similar blue-collar punch, at least musically speaking. Lyrically, Lede’s romantic angst comes from a self-doubting Generation X perspective that came of age in the ’90s.
Able to fit within the Hot AC radio format as well as even some alternative crossover (“Theme [From a Broken Car]”), Lede uses country merely as a launching pad before rocketing off into other stylistic directions. On “Camouflage,” Lede stays within the framework of today’s popular acoustic rock; the production is slick and big, giving the song a larger scope with a definite eye for FM radio. It’s one for the chicks, a catchy pop track with introspective lyrics that’ll have teenage poets swooning.
The Beatles-esque melodicism of “Scene from a Bar” is Lede’s most impressive effort. Not only does the track have timeless hooks, but the lyrics are Lede’s most adult and genuinely moving. “I’m sitting here/With a piece of a puzzle/Trying to think/What to do with myself,” he sings, gulping down a pint of self-pity as a failing relationship waits for him at home.
Dodd Michael Lede: http://www.acousticoutlaw.com
