SoulTube
Somewhere around 1986, the Los Angeles based duo, David + David released their gem, Boomtown. It was a gritty, slice-of-life snapshot of the characters that populate L.A., those going up, those going down, and those going nowhere. For those who know the record and lament D+D's short career, Robby Baier will seem like the second coming.

SoulTube, is a tour-de-force. Baier writes, produces, sings and plays virtually every instrument on the album. Baier's voice actually recalls David Baerwald's with its soulful crack. What made D+D's songs and what makes Baier's songs so listenable is the same: they buoy their tales of the lost and the broken with irresistible pop/rock hooks. "Right On Track" portrays a woman with a "needle...and crooked spoon," and an instantly memorable chorus. "Seriously" has an infectious groove and inventive production. "Weeping Eyes" is a dark portrait of a "Big daddy" and the girls he pimps. "Dead End" might be perceived as the sequel, and as the title implies, it's not a happy ending.

"Room In My Chevy" stomps along propelled by a repeating harmonica phrase that'll get stuck in your brain for a day or two. Actually that can be said for the whole album. There's not a toss-off in the bunch. SoulTube is really a soul bomb. Dig the fallout.