Gonzales — Soft Power

Easing out from under Feist's rock, Gonzales gleefully reveals himself in the sunshine with Soft Power, a deliriously good-time album of soft rock, disco, piano balladry and pop. The album blurs the lines between hipster and easy listening. It starts with Abba, is then rolled in Bee Gees, pounded with Sebastien Tellier, sprinkled with Charles Aznavour and then baked until warm. It's a very French sounding record loaded with simple hum-along tunes with classical instrumentation ("Theme From In-Between" and the breathtaking "C Major"). But it also has hilarious, danceable songs about getting along and killer love, all slapped with synths, pianos and hand claps. The album ends with Gonzales' rambled sing-talk confession and leaves the listener feeling like this guy truly made the album he wanted. Gonzales has used his endless talents to become a new soft-rock superhero and has created a strangely addictive new world of possibilities with Soft Power.

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