Stuart Hyatt Shrimp Attack CD

Like a prior record nominally credited to Stuart Hyatt (2005's The Clouds), this isn't so much a Hyatt recording as a community art project. Though Hyatt did co-write the music with Joe Terrana, the lyrics were written by members of Creative Clay, a non-profit cultural arts center for artists with developmental disabilities in St. Petersburg, FL. Also contributing to the musical performances were students at Eckerd College, and though the vocals aren't specifically credited, at an educated guess most or all of these were done by Creative Clay artists as well. According to the liner notes, the nine tracks eventually produced by this collaborative effort ("performed by the Shrimp Attack Collective," according to the CD credits) "loosely follow a narrative describing the complacency of an alpha-species (humans) and the growing frustration of the underlings (shrimp)." That's a concept even more obscure than the average '70s rock opera, and not one that's too clearly delineated by the songs. Without that context, it sounds more like a collection of whimsical, semi-improvised song-poems -- sometimes sung, sometimes declaimed -- that are somewhat like the most naive form of indie pop, though blander and less edgy. Almost everyone would agree that these sort of artistic endeavors are worthwhile projects to undertake, simultaneously providing an artistic outlet for and serving a part of the population that's usually unfairly neglected by both the media and society as a whole. It won't win many Good Guy awards to say this in a record review, but as to whether it's interesting for many people not involved in the project or its community to hear, that's another matter. There are those who will find its charm winning, but for all but the most specialized tastes, it's too slight to reward multiple listenings. One thing it should win some kind of award for, though, is the packaging, which is as quirky as it comes, enclosing the CD, ninja tree seeds, and a small spiral-bound illustrated notebook (with drawings and texts by Creative Clay artists) in a U.S. Army canteen pouch used in the Vietnam War era. ~ Richie Unterberger

Liner Note Author: Max Linsky.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Chris M.; Tom P.; Paul B; Julien B.; Jimmi A.; Bill F.; Jonathan M.