"Don't Trip On Your Way Out" opens the album with a rugged and super-fat guitar sound – one that the Strokes would probably be glad to possess – backing up super-soulful vocalist Skip Peri's pained accusations to a cheating woman. This magical guitar and vocal combination, atop a very tight bass and drums rhythm section forms the basis for the album's appeal and becomes the bands' sonic signature; without the rough-and-ready guitars, it would be tempting to brush shimmer off as candy-coated neo-soul, but together the appeal is undeniable.
The tasty guitars are still in place on, "Here I Am (Antidote)", this time underneath some wicked falsetto vocals. The third track, "Needle To The Vinyl" could easily make waves on the pop charts, with an infectious chorus, more of those killer falsettos, some nice guitar riffing and tasteful background claps.
"Sweet Love" pushes the blue-eyed soul angle further over a beat funky enough to get jacked by some hip-hop producer with an Akai and a silky smooth love-vibe in need of a groove. At times on this track, and others on the album, Peri almost reminds me of Hall and Oats.
"Like A Feather" throws together a riff that recalls Hendrix with some very nice drum work from Sean Siner. The song has a very tense energy, barely hanging together, feeling like it's always on the verge of exploding, the choruses do explode a little, but the tension remains not entirely resolved and continues through the next track, "Wicked". The drum sounds benefit, as do all the instruments on Shimmer from being very well recorded. Credit for that goes to the A-Team production duo.
Shimmer heads into Lenny Kravitz territory on "Shoulda Known" with a Kravitz-like super funky guitar riff. This song resolves the tension of the previous two with a cathartic chorus and some nice rhythmic figures.
Peri continues his preoccupation with love in its' various phases - sweet love, love gone wrong - "The Violence of Love" is another radio-friendly number this time of the swooning, ballad variety. Err.. I think it's a ballad, there are still those kickass guitars that prevent it from being a corny ballad, but the vocal is quite sweet and the vibe is thoroughly optimistic and elated.
Not wanting to leave things on a soft note, the band comes back strong with "Who Loves Ya" which features a chunky Zeppelin-esque riff that hits hard. A very nice bridge section leads to a one-note guitar solo; I guess when you've got a sound this good you can get away with a one-note solo.
An impressive debut album – Peri's impassioned vocals will appeal to the ladies but the band's tight rhythm section and very nice guitar parts prevent it from alienating the dudes. The band is extremely consistent and always tasteful, the songwriting is killer – major label artists have apparently already been scrambling to cover some of Shimmer's tunes – and the production is super solid. These guys aren't just boasting when they call themselves the A-Team. It will be interesting to see where they go with it, I for one would be curious to see if they get some funky horn sections on future albums. But that's then and this is now, and for now, giving this a listen may help you decide that all that Shimmers is gold.
