Columbus Dispatch
May 29
Cobra Verde
Easy Listening
(Muscle Tone)
This Cleveland band takes a turn toward the light on its fourth full-length CD. The 11 ultra-catchy songs harken to the days of mid-'70s FM rock radio and muscle cars, with a noticeable lack of irony. Cobra Verde's three previous efforts have been darker affairs, heavy on metallic rock, but always with a slight macabre sneer. Easy Listening shows a hookier side of the band, approaching the heavier side of Love and Mott the Hoople. John Petkovic is the lounge singer at the helm of this deep collection, easily the most inspired in the group's career.
-- Jerry Dannemiller