Artist: Tom Kafafian
Title: In Through The Outside
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Great Escape Records
Website

Tom Kafafian plays and sings In Through The Outside and he does it all in a convincing, ballsy, gritty and determined way on his rockin' new release. The cover of this CD suggests that the man is bearing his heart and soul for the world to see in his music, but the heart has become scattered as it spills upon the ground. The interesting cover is food for thought and some reflection to be sure.

What amazes me about this steady album is that this 19-year-old kid sounds like a rock veteran, someone that has been in the studio and honed their skills over the release of several albums rather than a debut. With all of the heavy-duty competition out there amongst indie acts trying to catch your ear this youngster stands tall in the crowd.

I appreciate the way he used all of his talents vocally and with his six-string, he can play loud and boisterous or soft and tasteful, then match it with the appropriate vocal style, which is not a particularly easy thing to accomplish on an album that has pretty much the same theme and atmosphere throughout. He is able to mix it up and keep it fresh regardless of that fact, again a major accomplishment by anyone's standards in this day of fabricated studio wizardry.

I found "Nebula," the high-octane lead off track, and "Breath You In" to be the best songs on the album. They both had all of the qualities that I mentioned previously and I think they highlight Kafafian's attitude and sound perfectly. It sounds like this young buck listened to his share of groups like The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols-all of the great punk rocks bands that set the tone for what was to come in the following decades. Listen to "Can't Change Me" and you will hear the angst and the attitude come through loud and clear. It reminded me of how I felt when I was 19. If you are a nonconformist at heart you will really get off on this music, I did.

Feel like your "Stuck in a Hole" that you cannot get out of? Let the music give you an escape route, check out In Through The Outside and rock yer ass off!

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

Rating-9/10

July 29, 2004

01. Nebula (2:50)
02. Great Escape (4:05)
03. Geronimo (3:38)
04. Circles (3:45)
05. Stuck in a Hole (3:41)
06. Breathe You In (3:54)
07. Radiation Suicide (4:33)
08. Can't Change Me (3:21)
09. The Station (3:54)
10. In The End (3:31)