Reviewed by Kit Burns
Legal Tender/Carbon McCartney
You have to love a group that not only acknowledges their obvious affection for the Beatles but actually named their album Carbon McCartney. Such humilty and tongue-in-cheek humor can endear a new fan to an unknown act instantly although Legal Tender are appealing enough with their songs. And what tunes are these: finger-snapping, toe-tapping pop cuts that are fueled by the buoyant spirit of the ’60s British Invasion and the beefy, speaker-filling riffs of ’70s AOR. “Hey Little Girl” explodes with flamboyant, glammy guitars and, yes, Beatlesesque harmonies. However, like the other retro tracks on the CD, this is no pale imitation; it really does sound like this record had originally come out during the era of its inspirations.
Oddly enough, for an LP named after Paul McCartney, Davenport actually recalls John Lennon even more. (Perhaps Carbon Lennon wasn’t catchy enough.) “The More Things Change” and “Victimless Crime” offer slices of tasty psychedelia without the corniness that sometimes seeps into the genre. Those who fondly recall the Beatles’ jangling, ringing riffs will be hooked on “Tears Away” and “Missing You.”
