Scroll down for reviews of releases by Arlo and Hutch

Trish Murphy
Captured

(Raven)

release date: 2001

www.trishmurphy.com

Austin, TX-based singer-songwriter Trish Murphy shines like an angel on this live disc, recorded last June and July at two Austin hotspots, the Saxon Pub and Flipnotics Coffeespace.

Close-miked and in fine form, Murphy, along with brother Darin and a trio of outstanding players, runs through stripped-down, intimate versions of a baker's dozen of her alluring tunes-eight from her two albums, 1997's Trish Murphy and 1999's Rubies on the Lawn, and five brand-new, including the plaintive "Lightning Strikes." Commanding rapt attention with her sweet, little girl-ish voice, occasionally colored by a seductive raspy edge, she delivers a particularly wonderful "Vanilla Sun" (one of my favorites from Rubies), and a warm "Blue Tattoo," the closer on her self-titled debut.

Murphy is yet another example of an artist who deserves to be huge on the global music scene. All she needs is the right break and a couple million of her friends to spread the word. So what are you waiting for?

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Arlo
Stab the Unstoppable Hero

(Sub Pop)

release date: 2002

Arlo's newest is about as cool a power pop album as you're likely to find during these oppressively hot summer days.

Kicking off in take-no-prisoners, power riff style with the hard-hitting "Little American," the band hits pop fans' buttons with all cylinders running; spot-on harmonies and crunchy guitars abound, although the guys aren't afraid to break out an acoustic on the tuneful, harmony-rich "Bus Stop."

The track that I predict all ears will be drawn to time and again is the ass-kicking Knack homage, "Runaround," played at blinding speed and ear-splitting volume to all good advantage.

With all of the power pop-accent on "power"-albums coming out these days, it's easy for the really great ones to get lost in the shuffle. Don't let this happen-put Stab the Unstoppable Hero on your must-get list.

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Hutch
Turn It Around

(Smile)

Equal parts pop and rock, Hutch's Turn It Around is a solid, 11-song entertainment value for your buck.

Fronted by guitarist and songwriter Joe Hutchison, the band's Smile Records debut kicks off with the full-frontal assault title cut. The intro, which recalls the beginning of Los Bravos's "Black is Black," hits hard with propulsive drumming from Thom Sullivan and solid bass work from Glenn Hays; it leads into a seductive vocal from Hutchison. The song grabs you by the throat with its hooky chorus.

The funky/poppy "So Spaced Out" spits out bursts of seventies pop with a gritty edge. "Fanciful Eyes" mines sixties conventions as chiming guitars mix with power chords and another great hook.

The two best tracks show up-and-comers how to do this brand of power pop. "Mad About You" (no, not the theme from the TV show), with acoustic strumming at it heart, melts the senses with its tale of true love. Hutchison's fluid vocal brands this one a keeper. And "Something About You," clocking in at an economical 3:15, zips along, sounding like a long-lost seventies treasure.

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