Things That Once Were

Album Review

The debut album from the former singer of the Brambles has a lot of positives and few negatives. The vocals resemble an early-'50s teen idol, but tinged with the maturity of a solid singer/songwriter. "Never Gonna Cry" is a bit soft melodically, but the tight arrangements prevail, despite the unneeded keyboards. One aspect hurting the album is the production, whereby Anthony sounds far from the mic and placed far back in the mix over the drums and rhythm sections. If there is a knock against Anthony, though, it's that he tends to play it too safe, although "Eyes of Love" does have a louder, more pronounced backbeat to it resembling early Elvis Costello. There is also a lush, dreamy Brit-pop sound on other songs, such as "The Time," one of the superior tracks here. Anthony finds the right mix though on the power pop ballad "Love's in the Wind," which sounds like the missing piece to the Pretty In Pink soundtrack. The harmony vocals, including some with his brother Lou Anthony, are pleasing, but again a bit low in the mix in general, which is most evident in "The Attraction." Nonetheless, it's a generally strong album by a stronger songwriter.