Tal Bachman in Bloomington, MN

Living up to the legend of
Randy Bachman
might not be as overwhelming as living up to the legacy of
John Lennon
, but
Tal Bachman
does something neither
Julian
nor
Sean Lennon
did -- he made a debut album that has nothing to do whatsoever with his father's music.
's eponymous debut is a classic pop/rock album, in the vein of '70s pop singer/songwriters who spent as much time crafting the sound of their records as they did the songs. Since the record is a product of the late '90s, it does have a bit of the self-conscious pastiche that characterizes post-alternative pop, but
is more sincere than his peers. Occasionally, he is a bit too sincere, suffering a bit from schmaltzy lyrics and music, but when he delivers, he delivers mainstream pop that is unabashedly designed for radio play. If the album suffers from overproduction in the hands of
Bob Rock
, so be it -- the best moments prove that
has the potential to develop a career as a fine mainstream pop/rock hitmaker. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine