Without Todd Park Mohr there is no band. Trust me. 18 dollars is well spent, even to hear him sing average songs. Listening to Todd Park Mohr is listening to the sound of burbling water, late night radio talk show hosts, and sweet syrup. He has always sounded like late night Colorado to me. Sitting in a bar, smoking a cigarette, and drinking Fat Tire. That’s what I hear when I listen to BHTTM.
The new BHTTM is Riviera. Listening to it for the first time felt like slipping into a favorite pair of sweat pants on a cold morning. The voice was there, the sound was there (I swear these guys make their instruments cry), the whole BHTTM package. And maybe that’s a good thing.
There are some bands who spring forth fully formed and never have to change. The Eagles are the best example. I believe that BHTTM is one of those bands. The sound is perfect from day one, and there is no need to tinker with it. This makes for comfortable, instead of challenging, listening. And there was a time that would have made me mad. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s age, but I like the familiar, I like the comfortable. BHTTM delivers with Riviera. Buy it, put it on, take a minute, and you can smell the Rockies. Go see ‘em when they come to town.
The only jarring note about this album is three of the song names: Hysteria, Runaway Train, and Wishing Well. It is quite possible that Todd Park Mohr has never heard the other three songs with the same names. Still.
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