Although Chris Holmes later tried to dismiss
Yum-Yum's sole album, 1996's
Dan Loves Patti, as some kind of elaborate joke, there's little evidence of that in the music itself; Holmes would have to be more deadpan than
Jack Webb if there were the slightest bit of humor evident in this po-faced, terribly earnest-sounding collection of a dozen wimpy pop ballads. Though both Holmes' lyrics and vocals are excruciatingly lame -- and even if Holmes claims that was the idea, it doesn't make the eye-rolling lyrics of songs like "Jealous of the Stars" any less irritating -- the album is saved by the clever melodies and Dave Trumfio's excellent production, which blends electronic pulses with real strings and horns in a surprisingly logical and organic way. The arrangements save songs like "Apiary" and the opening "I'm Not Telling," but a couple of the real howlers just can't be saved no matter what Trumfio tries. No matter what Holmes' intentions were, his half-baked execution makes
Dan Loves Patti a basically pleasant, though in the end slightly irritating listen of little lasting import. ~ Stewart Mason