Pinkeye d'Gekko
Rhythm & Westrn (2002)

review by: David Brown
Date: 5/15/03

You might say that Pinkeye d'Gekko's Rhythm and Westrn is overproduced. You might say the band isn't filled with dazzling musicians or virtuoso performances. You might say this album is a little too derivative of the Beatles' later work. You might even say this band is struggling to figure out just what kind of a band they are.

But any listener has to admit that this album has a big sound. It has energy. It has some very good songs. And it features a very talented singer/songwriter/ producer named Steve Richards Mahoney. Mahoney is the creative force behind d'Gekko's unique sound. And while some of his songs don't seem to fit this band's strengths, there is a strong musical foundation on Rhythm & Westrn that could yield a promising future.

Mahoney's vocal skills are far from brilliant, but he has listened to enough Bob Dylan and Tom Waits to know that a great voice isn't a requirement to be a good singer. Plus, as a producer, he knows how to use the right mix of backing vocals, filters, and layering to make him sound great at times, particularly on "Possibly," the opening track. The energy of "Possibly" along with its broad range of instrumentation and studio effects set the tone for the whole album. Most importantly, "Possibly" makes you want to keep listening.

The band's sound falls somewhere between the alt-country scene and the jam band scene, with a solid pop sensibility. Mahoney's songwriting skills are clearly inspired by the likes of Dylan and the Beatles, and he serves this tradition proudly. Rarely is rock music in the 21st century blessed with such fine song structure as found in Mahoney's work.

But for all Mahoney's strength as a songwriter and producer, he gets a little wayward with some of the slower ballads as well as the more experimental tracks. "Inside Job" and "This Love" sound as if he's trying to rewrite "Let It Be." Both the band and Mahoney's voice seem far better suited to the more upbeat songs (save for the lyrical Hammond B3 organ work of Dave Grelle). There are also several tracks which serve as filler material that seem to serve little purpose other than to showcase Mahoney's production talents, which are put to far better use in the album's more structurally familiar material.

Despite Mahoney's self-indulgence, there is a core of seven songs on Rhythm & Westrn that displays great songwriting, superb production, strong performances, and an unconventional approach. This includes a cover of Dylan's "Most of the Time," a song from 1989's Oh Mercy more remembered for being featured in the John Cusack movie, High Fidelity. Pinkeye's version is perhaps the highlight of the album, with the band sounding strong, augmented beautifully by a horn arrangement that totally changes the flavor of the song.

Rhythm & Westrn leaves me with one major question about Pinkeye d'Gekko: What on earth do they sound like live? They use the studio so well, I wonder how these songs translate to the stage. They've got me curious. That's a lot further than most bands get.