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Brian Charles Tischleder This Town Review by Gary Hill I reviewed a previous set from Brian Charles Tischleder and mentioned that his voice sounds a lot like Bruce Springsteen. Well, that hasn't changed. I'd say that the quality of material has been tweaked on this release, though. I would consider this to be more consistent in terms of strength, quality and effectiveness. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021 Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.

Track by Track Review

All Night Hamburger Stand Old school rock and roll is on the menu here. The doo wop backing vocals lend an air of authenticity. I dig the saxophone.

Sixteen Candles There is a punky alternative rock vibe to this cut. It has a great grind. The multi-layered vocal arrangement is pretty cool. It still has some old-school rock and roll in the mix, though. Then again, that's a hallmark of a lot of punk.

I Can't Breathe This starts with some wandering piano. The vocals come in over the top of that, and the number works to a more stripped back and slow moving rock arrangement from there. This is classy stuff that is rather ballad-like. It is (appropriately given the topical nature of the lyrics) somber and rather haunting. There is a drop down the piano, vocals and saxophone. The addition of female vocals on this number really brings something special to the cut.

Bang The Drum As you might expect, given the title, drums are prominent here. The cut has a lot of drama and style built into it. It's a slow moving cut that is effective and fairly modern in nature.

Falling Down Like Rain An up-tempo rocker, this really feels like Bruce Springsteen to me, and not just for the vocals. The backing vocals are strong, but they have to be to stand up to the rest. I love the soulful break they provide mid-track.

Marilyn Monroe If the last song sounded like Springsteen, this one feels like it could be an outtake from one of his albums. The saxophone is classy, and the whole tune rocks well. There is a piano and voice drop back mid-track.

Riding With The Kings Bringing a Springsteen vibe to an Elvis type concept, this is a slow moving blues cut. If there's a song that doesn't work for me, it's this one.

Black Cadillac I'm not overly enthused about this track, either. It's another fairly slow tune. The organ brings some retro flavor. This just doesn't really grab me.

This Town Here we get another slow moving, Springsteen like song. It is fairly effective, but seem too low energy for album closer to me. It eventually builds back out into an up-tempo driving prog jam. As non-lyrical vocals come in over the top it really becomes quite soaring and powerful.

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