Mike Levy

As a member of the Sneetches, Mike Levy almost had his moment in the spotlight, but it never quite came together. So when the band finally called it a day in 1995, he began to work on a solo project and five years later, it was finally released. Fireflies is a song-driven album, something that is becoming rarer and rarer these days. And with such an unfashionable perspective, it sounds like the work of someone travelling to the beat of his own drum - there isn't any catering to what people might want to hear. Instead, people will just have to learn how to enjoy something a little subtle. Most of the songs are piano driven, but they don't quite have the show-tune feeling of early Ben Folds Five. There is a lushness to the arrangements, with plenty of strings, layers of vocal harmonies and the occasional flugelhorn. He is even joined on some tracks by the rest of the Sneetches, indicating that they are at least all on speaking terms. Levy's voice is warm and engaging; it has a familiarity that draws you in and holds your attention. That, of course, is aided by songs that share that familiarity - they could almost have been written any time in the past 30 years and hearken back to the early '70s, where the singer- songwriter was king. Fireflies is one of those albums that they just don't make anymore. It values simplicity and catchiness above all else and can maybe give Levy some of the success that has eluded him so far in his career.