Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews

Doug Collins and the Receptionists Good Sad News Review by Gary Hill You really only have to look at the cover to realize that this set will be retro-styled. You'd be right making that assumption. While there are some songs that differ a bit, and a few that lean toward more modern elements, overall old-school guitar rock and roll and country are the prevailing winds here. I'm reminded of various acts at different times, but overall the mix is original. This is all quite effective, too. This might not be Earth-shattering in terms of creativity, but it's well-done and still manages some fresh angles. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review

Conversation With My Heart A classic sounding guitar flourish opens the disc. The track moves out from there to a number that has some alternative rock in the mix, but overall is very much retro based. It has some country built into it along with more Americana. This is catchy and classic in nature.

Little House (Built For Two) Energetic and catchy, this is more firmly built on the old-school textures in some ways. Still, there are still moments that lean more toward the alternative rock end of the spectrum. I dig the country guitar fills in the mix. This gets a bit of a parental advisory.

Please Don’t Make Me Leave You Built heavily around a 50s rock and roll sound, this makes me think of Roy Orbison. I like the piano work mid-track. It's a nice touch, as is the retro guitar solo.

Tomorrow There is a bit of an accessible modern pop rock sound that plays a big part of this. At the same time, though, this is retro. That said, this feels like something that would have been at home in the 1970s. It's a classic sounding soft rock piece.

Crush On You This makes me think of the 70s and 80s retro rock trends of bands like The Knack. It's a catchy and solid.

I Saw You Dancin’ A slower cut, there is a lot of country in the mix here. The tune has a timeless texture and some pedal steel guitar. It's more of a balladic piece and is packed with emotion.

Halfway Thru Now, this energetic cut is packed full of country music. This is a lot of fun.

Hey Mary Old school Mexican music is merged with a bit of blues on the mellower cut. The instrumentation is of the acoustic variety. The tune is catchy and provides a nice bit of variety.

Two Days of Rain I dig the rockabilly guitar work on this track. The tune is another slab of timeless retro styled rock and roll.

Top of the Watertower Perhaps a bit more modern in nature, this energetic rocker still has plenty of retro texture. It's a lot of fun, and a great choice to end the set in style. It has some killer rock and roll meets blues guitar soloing, too.

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