David Levin - Stepping On My Hat

Sometimes the best produced music falls short on certain ears. David Levin’s self-released Stepping on my Hat is an impressive work on several counts. Smooth, clean vocals grace precise instrumentation on this easy-flowing set of catchy pop-rockers. Early standout tracks include “Demolition Boy” and “Stepping on my Hat.” The former was so good it was included on the album twice; the second version appears in acoustic form at the end. For all the extolment that could be given to these virtues, I found myself wanting more from the lyrics, and ultimately, the music in general. A little more pop-witticism and a little less feel-good preaching would have been appreciated. Minnesotan David Levin overtly emulates a certain Brit of Police fame, making this is a CD I might recommend to my aunt - a fan of the aforementioned. Personally, I felt a tinge of goofiness getting into some of the later tracks of this contemporary collection. Mr. Levin writes in the song “Blood and Feathers,” “I’d give anything for a milkshake and a burger.” And just maybe, Stepping on my Hat is the milkshake and burger of pop-rock: Tried and true, but nothing new. [www.davidlevin.com]