Ken Sharp
Welcome to Toytown
Jet Fighter Records
God bless him. For as long as I’ve been consuming Ken Sharp’s palate-pleasing product (which has been a very long time), I’ve remained impressed by the consistency of his high-quality, fat-free brand. And once again, with his 8th album, Welcome to Toytown, the celebrated So-Cal singer / songwriter has arrived on my doorstep, possessing all of the promise of a trusted pizza franchise. Simply put, Ken Sharp (always) “Delivers in 30 minutes or less, or it’s free!”
Boasting a bounty of baroque-inspired, pop-driven earworms, Welcome to Toytown finds Sharp picking up where he left off in 2021 with its exhaustive, stylistic sister set, Miniatures.
Oozing all of the finesse of Burt Bacharach’s former spiritual guru, the self-produced 40-pluser scratches all of my personal shag-covered, soft-pop itches. Super-sunny highlights include the snappy one-minute opener “Happy Day Happy Dream,” the Sid & Marty-sanctioned leadoff single “Great Big Beautiful World,” and the Everlasting, Gobstopping “We Are Timeless.”
Sharp’s oft-used stylistic “less is more” approach still serves him well. And to that, the delicate piano work and string accompaniment pinned to honest and pure vocals allows “Let It Be You” and “Love Will Break Your Heart” to shine among the record’s brightest moments. However, it can be argued that the catchy, Sergio-inspired “Daisy Jane” (No, NOT that Daisy Jane) is the record’s secret Cracker Jack prize.
In sum: Ken Sharp Welcome to Toytown — come for the retro vibe, the feathered coifs and crushed velvet slacks. But, STAY for the intoxicating tunes!
