Kottak is the new side project by James Kottak (called Jimmy Ratchitt here) and his wife Athena. I had no clue as to what to expect except for the sticker on the CD saying it was “Cheap Trick meets Green Day on a bad day.” Well for once, that sticker was accurate. It’s not often we are subjected to truth in advertising. Most of the music is punk but each song has other elements. The underlying element throughout is melody. Most of the choruses are extremely catchy and overall the music is well played. I was never really into punk rock and I’m not a Green Day fan but there is something about this album that is just plain fun. I don’t think that you can hold it against Rush’s 2112 but that is not what it is all about. This is the kind of album you throw on during a party or better yet, slip this in the CD player at any boring gathering and watch the “party” erupt.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2006 Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.