Sha Sha [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

Enthusiasm is what brings to his work. -like perennial goofy-teenager attitude and lack of antipathy are his golden attributes, and the combination of his keen songwriting sense makes a powerhouse. Following his self-released demo, , and the following EP, spreads out with more songs and sounds on this full-length studio album. Underscoring the songwriting skill he's been working at since age eight, he plays acoustic, , , and straight-ahead of the course of 11 songs. His lyrics are consistently heart-sung, but they aren't lite -- he's got weight and bite, too. isn't afraid to wear his top-drawer influences on his sleeve, either: soars on guitar like a or tune, and he sings "noooooo reason to cry" with the same vehemence with which once sang "nooooo future." smells like , but its commentary on the slacker lifestyle keeps it self-aware. He recuts his epic a winding, melancholic piano rocker with a jam that is straight off a '70s vintage record. and though through and through, are pure -- bright, witty, fun, sweet diaries of hard-to-grapple-with feelings translated into two-to-three-minute bursts of self-empowered joy. Isn't that how all should be? ~ Denise Sullivan