n the dead wax of the Calling Cadence LP is scribbled “play loud!” and that’s precisely what I did. Playing either the CD or LP rewarded me with some of the cleanest, most dynamic sound I’ve heard lately. The music didn’t disappoint, either. The quality of the sonics was due largely to the fact that the session was recorded live using an all-analog chain, with the lacquer cut from a 1/4” tape (via an Ampex ATR 102) mixed down from a 2” master (via a Studer A827) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. The LP, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI, is a hefty, glistening, flat-as-a-pancake disc free of any annoying artifacts. My only complaint is with the unlined paper inner sleeve, which clung to the record like a newborn bear cub to its mother.

I was not familiar with the Los Angeles band Calling Cadence (not to be confused with the metalcore band Cadence Calling), but a search on the Internet yielded some information. Calling Cadence is the duo comprised of singer/guitarist/songwriter Oscar Bugarin and vocalist Rae Cole, supported by a band of top-shelf LA musicians, including drummer Josh Adams, bassist Elijah Thompson and keyboardist Mitchell Yoshida. The music on this album is fun to listen to but hard to describe. The best I can do is say it’s a smorgasbord of folk, rock, soul, punk, jazz and country with easy-to-digest attitude and gotcha hooks. All that, coupled with the extremely high level of musicianship, makes the end product easily absorbed.

The album begins on a slow, bluesy note, introducing us to the earthy voices of Oscar Bugarin and Rae Cole. That lead song, “Throw My Body,” sounds like so many I’ve heard before, but with sharper hooks and more ear-grabbing vocals. A soul-inspired rocker follows with a tight, catchy sound. “Just The Way It Goes” would be right at home in Muscle Shoals, with nice guitar and barrel-house piano. Things slow down for “Burn These Blues.” It’s sung convincingly by Bugarin and has just the right amount of tasty Mitchell Yoshida Hammond-organ fill. A persistent rhythm sets the stage for Cole’s sultry vocal on the next track. Any similarity between her voice and Annie Lennox’s is purely coincidental. A B3 swoosh introduces “Took A Chance,” a swaying waltz dealing with troubled relations and sung beautifully. “Dancin'” does just that and provides a welcome relief from the shoe-gazing introspection of the previous tune. Some nice guitar introduces the next song and continues the enjoyable mood of the album. Bigger production elements cloak “This Time” with an aura of top-40 radio play. Haven’t we all heard an intro similar to that of “So Far Away” before? I swear I have but can’t exactly place it. A tender, relaxed waltz provides the base for one of the vocal couple’s most sensitive performances, on “I Don’t Know Why.” Some more tasty Hammond B3 completes the narrative.