Richard Barone - Clouds Over Eden (1993)

As a member of the Bongos, one of the more obscure outfits on the early-80s Pop landscape, Richard Barone often saw his work with the band – gems like Beat Hotel or Drums Along The Hudson – overshadowed by musical peers on both sides of the Atlantic. As a solo act, he's not done much better, mired in obscurity while consistently producing material showing considerable skills as a wordsmith with a fine-tuned ear for penning pop melodies...talents never more evident than on his latest effort, Clouds Over Eden.

Barone tends to bring a contemporary sensibility to classic pop stylings, proving himself quite capable of evoking fond musical memories by bringing scraps of everything you've ever heard on the radio to the table without ever sounding derivative. The Orbisonesque guitar riffs on Forbidden, for instance, masterfully underline Barone's tale of loneliness and frustration, while the jangling guitars and sweet harmonies of Nobody Knows Me illustrate Barone's subtle touch on dozens of '80s college-rock bands. If radio were more open and less formatted, there'd be a welcome mat out for cuts like the Beatles-influenced title cut, Clouds Over Eden or the chilling Law Of The Jungle. As it is, pop poets such as Richard Barone, or his colleague and frequent collaborator Jules Shear, must craft album after album for a small, but appreciative audience. (Rhino Records)

(Click on the CD cover to buy Clouds Over Eden from Amazon.com)