ASTROPUPPEES
Little Chick Tsunami (Manatee Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Kelly Ryan is a pretty damned amazing woman. She sings, plays a bunch of things, writes tunes and lyrics and produces and engineers albums. In fact, she's a whole band. Once upon a time she fronted a trio called the astroPuppees, but although the rest of the litter strayed, she kept the name. It's fitting that someone with so many diverse talents has a plural moniker.

She doesn't do it all by herself all the time. Although one track on Little Chick Tsunami is a completely solo project (and the track in question, "As Long As U Love," is one of the album's best), she recruits collaborators as needed. This time out she gets an assist from former Gin Blossom Jesse Valenzuela and Del Shannon's daughters, Joy and Kym Westover, among others. No matter who helps, though, this is Ryan's project, and it leaves me shaking my head wondering why she's not the busiest woman in the biz. There are any number of pop bands that could use more songs as good as these, for instance, and if this is an example of what she can do with a basement home studio, there are any number of labels, large and small, that would be releasing better music if they'd hire Kelly Ryan to run their sessions. Not to mention the countless dancefloors that could stand to be filled up by a live performance of the addictively hooky and eminently bounceable pop music that she creates.

Bottom line? Kelly Ryan is the best girl group of the 21st century all by herself, and you should take your first opportunity to get swept away by her Little Chick Tsunami.

Track List:

Over Her Head * Girlfriend In A Box * Electric Chair * Elevator Man * As Long As U Love * Little Chick Tsunami * Girl On A Wire * Any More Words * How It Works * Orange

© 2003 - Shaun Dale