Emerson Hart - Cigarettes & Gasoline
Manhattan Records (7/17/07)
Rock / Pop
Anyone reading this would more likely recognize Emerson Hart as the frontman for the band Tonic, a group which, in the mid-'90s, scored one (and only) big hit with "If You Could Only See".
Now on his own, Hart has crafted an album that fails to measure up to that one big hit, but manages to string together a collection of songs that... well, isn't entirely a waste. And I mean that in a completely positive way.
Take the opener, "Run To". The song almost feels like a throwback to the mid-'90s, and I can almost imagine it getting tons of airplay. There's this infectious bass hook underneath the proceedings, and the overall melody really pulls you in. And Hart sounds pretty comfortable behind the mic, but the lyrics just feel lacking, which can't be a good thing when you shed the full band for a solo endeavor. The more I listen to the track, the more I like it musically but dislike the lyrics.
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