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Title: Brilliant pop, a little too smart for the market
Review: Richard Barone, who was lead singer for the 1980s band The Bongos (were they punk, new wave, or just from New Jersey?), started his solo career with an exuberant burst. Lyrically he relaxed a little from the puzzling pop poetry of the Bongos . Musically the sound is lush yet dangerous, like a jungle, mixing Richard's superb guitar with strings. A few songs sound like aims at commercial acceptance (fat chance), but "Before You Were Born," "Where the Truth Lies," "River to River" and "To the Pure" are, indeed, pure of heart. One of my absolute favorite CDs of the 1990s. It's not too late to buy it now.
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