Steinbecks

Recorded Music Salon is the Steinbecks' third major release and it jangles with the best of them. The CD cover lists the names of some other songwriters who the Meadows share a common philosophy - quality songs at any cost - and including the horribly underrated Paddy McAloon (from Prefab Sprout) and the equally underrated Richard Davies. And like those other people, Joel and Josh have quiet, sweet voices that captivate but don't overpower. For the most part, the arrangements are simple embellished merely by some keyboards and the occasional trumpet. There really isn't a whole lot of difference between the songs here and those that the duo recorded as the Sugargliders (during their stay on Sarah Records in the early '90s). The downside of Recorded Music Salon is that it is all too brief - a dozen songs fly by in under 32 minutes and in the most frustrating moments, some songs even fade out before they get to a natural ending. In the end, though, it just leaves you wanting more.