The Bad Examples "Smash Record"

(Waterdog) When I first heard some of the Ralph Covert kiddie records I was not sold, but then I saw him performing for some tykes and he really communicated with them, connecting as deeply as you can with 3 year olds, and being seriously committed to delivering the goods. I bring that up because I was never on the Bad Examples bandwagon before, but seeing Ralph give his all for the sippy cup set made me want to give this a chance and try to listen with the ears of the devoted fans (of which there are plenty in this region). That in mind, the band seriously knows how to dish out the power pop: you are a top notch power popster if you sound like a Beatles cover band faking through originals as hooky as the Liverpudlians that provide your livelihood. The best song here is the meta-jam "Big E Chord," in which Ralph and Co. lay bare the alchemy of rock by literally singing the song's title while hitting the title subject and still making it sound as swelling and sincere and moving as if the lyric mentioned love, beauty, diamonds, pearls and trip around the world. Maybe I can do the same thing. Pithy last line that makes a pun about the band name while profoundly summarizing my opinion of the album!