Judd Starr “Luminescent” (Capacity Records 2006)

One man band stuck in his shiny version of the eighties.

Californian Starr who has a background of composing for television and film has produced an album on which he plays all instruments in an attempt at creating an “uber-hip 80’s sound”. Unfortunately his version of the eighties is bland, programmed drum, danceteria pop for folk with padded shoulder jackets and angular haircuts. Polished to a sheen the songs are for the most part inconsequential cliché ridden pop. I can’t find anything redeeming about this album at all unless you count the unintentional comedy provided on a song such as Let’s Play Commandant. Starr sings “let’s play commandant rule the world and save the day/you be the soldier taking orders from the captain/blow things up and have some fun/ I’ll point my finger like a leader and you’ll follow me.” while the backing vocals sing ”left, left, left, right, left ” like some bizarre collision of the Gang of Four with Wham! As the promotional material says this album is a “culmination of his musical experience from his childhood, until the very moment when he recorded the album as an adult.”

Date review added:  Saturday, December 16, 2006
Reviewer:  Paul Kerr
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  artist site