Hyperbolic hype aside -- many were calling this the power pop album of 2002 -- something just isn't right about
Hutch's debut,
Turn It Around. It's not that there is one tragic flaw so much as that there are many moderately large ones that add up to a fairly hollow, unfulfilling whole. Joe Hutchinson writes fairly good songs -- in fact, he may well grow into a memorable singer over time -- but here they're mostly run of the mill power pop, highlighted mostly by some pleasant touches of background vocals and wah-wah guitar.
Hutch is in basic three-minute pop song mode, though many of the songs run for four to five minutes or more, evidencing a lack of crucial editing or the need for a kick in the tempo (or both). More troubling is the production -- courtesy of Steve Refling and the members of
Hutch themselves -- which is bland and bottom heavy, sinking even the most infectious numbers here. Sure,
Hutch does a good job channeling the ghosts of
Badfinger,
Big Star, and (especially)
the Who here and there, but there are many, many bands doing this very thing, and many do it better.
Hutch may well grow into a great band, possibly even soon if given a fuller mix and with more developed, less stodgy material, but
Turn It Around is a fairly power pop-by-numbers debut. ~ Jason Damas