While the
Caulfields' second album
L doesn't quite have the fresh spark of their debut -- after all, you can only come out of left field once -- it still has the new wave songcraft which made
Whirligig such a delight. The group still has to develop their own style, since the
Costello and
Joe Jackson influences are still a bit too obvious, yet
L is still quite enjoyable for one simple reason: although the
Caulfields are derivative, they get their influences right. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine