More Annoying Songs

So what are the chances for one of the only two surviving members of a band that disbanded more than 25 years ago---and the band's drummer no less--- launching a comeback on a small indie label from his home in Orlando, Fla.? At the outset, the prospects wouldn't appear too promising. Still, you have to hand it to Mike Gibbins. Despite the well-publicized tragedies and travails he endured with Badfinger, he's still making his music with the enthusiasm of a kid half his age. More Annoying Songs, Gibbins' follow-up to his 1998 solo debut, A Place In Time, belies it's title via a surprisingly engaging effort. With Gibbins effectively handling vocals, drums and occasional keyboards and co-conspirator Rick Warsing providing some fiery fretwork, they deliver a surprisingly solid set of songs. As an added treat, Ron Griffiths -- who played with Gibbins in his pre-Badfinger band, The Iveys -- also drops by to sing backup on two of these tunes. That's not the only link to the past, however. Like Badfinger in it's earliest incarnation, his mostly melodic rockers take a bow to The Beatles, particularly in the cosmic coda linking 'Dream On' and 'Fall To Pieces' and the echoed vocals that give 'Hold On To Your Dream' an atmospheric effect reminiscent of John Lennon's solo style. There is also a similarity in style to latter-day Badfinger; songs such as 'Chains' and 'Fall To Pieces' could pass for outtakes from Ass or Airwaves, the latter an album made long after Gibbins left the fold. However, he's also willing to venture away from the more familiar terrain, as evidenced in 'Dirty Old Bugger,' a pretty baroque ballad-turned-wicked rocker, and the upbeat blues of 'Two By Two.' More Annoying Songs? Hardly. Give us this kind of irritation anytime.--Lee Zimmerman, Goldmine Magazine.