Tal Bachman

NOTE: It appears that Blogger (or someone else...???) has waited until what was supposed to be my 200th post to delete one of my recent posts, thus making this the 199th post. I'm hoping it magically reappears (indeed, I suspect it's a malfunction, 'cause when I went to edit this post, it opened the original "scheduled" version of it instead of the one that was already posted), but in case it doesn't, does anybody remember what it was...?

TAL BACHMAN
"TAL BACHMAN"
(Columbia, 1999)


"I Wonder"


The son of Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive alumnus Randy Bachman struck gold with the phenomenally successful single, "She's So High" (covered by, amongst others, Norwegian Idol Kurt Nilsen), but it was such an overexposed song that Tal Bachman has ended up being viewed by many as a "one-hit wonder". It's a shame, really, since his self-titled debut album had so much more to offer.

Bachman's distinctive voice, gritty or smooth depending on what fits the mood, suits these mostly upbeat, guitar-rock songs well: there's a harmonica-spiked, swaggering blues rocker ("You Don't Know What It's Like"); intimate, '70s-AM-radio acoustic ballads ("Beside You", "You're My Everything"); a pomp-laden pop track reminiscent of Supertramp and Elton John ("Romanticide"), and a mid-tempo, synth-organ-accented tune that defies easy reference ("Strong Enough").

Having a guy like Bob Rock as the album's producer makes its radio-friendliness an almost foregone conclusion, but he and Bachman aren't afraid to scuff the sheen with a little bit of sandpaper in order to give the songs a depth and relatability that a less-skilled producer might have forsaken in the interest of more album sales.

I have to wonder if the somewhat bleak-looking album cover (much darker than the contents of the album turn out to be) might have detracted from its sales -- not that it was a "flop" by any means, but I don't think it sold as well as it should have. I also wonder if lower-than-expected album sales might have been the reason he waited five years before putting out his next CD. I tend to find this disc in bargain bins quite often ... it seems to be a rather unappreciated album that deserves to be heard by everyone.