Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Peter Elkas (Party of One)

CD Review:
There are some albums that grab your attention straight away. Then there are those albums that make your teeth grit and toes curl up. The first type of album is rare to find in a serious music listener's record collection as they tend to be of the sugary pop type (with very few exceptions). The few that come to mind with merit are Michael Jackson's Thriller and The Zombies' Odessey & Oracle.

The second type suffers the same fate but less often. They tend to be of the experimental or eccentric type. Because of this music snobs tend to include some of these albums in there collection. Two famous ones that come to mind are Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones and Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica.

But you must be asking yourself what this has to do with the CD that is being reviewed presently. Well there is a third type of album of which Party of One is a stunning example. That type is the one that gets played and it doesn't inspire either of the aforementioned reactions. It is put aside by a casual listener that is looking for quick musical fix. But for those who are more patient and see enough merit in the recording to play it every once in a while, it grows in stature. It is played more often as time passes until you realize that the album has become one the favoured in your collection.

Peter Elkas is a brilliant singer/songwriter and Party of One is a gem of a recording. With songs using metaphor and a guitar leading beautiful melody, Elkas needs to be listened to by anyone who is a fan of artists such as Nick Drake. Let's hope Peter doesn't follow the same path as Drake and gets deserved recognition while still alive.

Scott D. Brown