On KIDS IN PHILLY, Philadelphia's Marah swings for the fences, taking the first of what would be several full-hearted if ultimately unsuccessful cracks at a crossover statement of purpose along the lines of Springsteen's THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E STREET SHUFFLE. The group's shambolic bar band pathos is ideally suited to the rough sketches of Philadelphia street life that permeate the album, however. If the results fall somewhat short of the group's ambitions--Marah sounds like it's trying to conjure "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" throughout)--it's not for lack of effort.
Additional personnel includes: Paul Smith (vocals, guitar, keyboards, vibraphone, chimes); Hy Lit (vocals); Mike Brenner (lap-steel guitar, vibraphone, samples); Jeff Clarke (bagpipes); Matt Cappy (trumpet); Sal Spera (percussion).
Debut;Signed By & Tours With Steve Earle
Recorded at Frank's Auto, South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Personnel: Serge Bielanko (guitar, banjo, harmonica, xylophone, percussion); David Bielanko (guitar, banjo, piano, organ, xylophone, chimes); Paul Smith (guitar, electric piano, organ, percussion); Bruce Langfeld (acoustic guitar, mandolin, piano, organ); Danny Metz (banjo); Jeff Clarke (bagpipe); Michael Hood (trombone); Ronnie Vance (drums, percussion).
Marah: Dave Bielanko, Serge Bielanko, Ronnie Vance, Danny Metz (vocals, various instruments).
Rolling Stone (6/8/00, pp.118-20) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A disciplined collection about fractured romance....music that's full of grand, Whitman-esque wonder and gnarly Lou Reed detail." Q (12/00, pp.126-7) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Delightful, surprisingly solid stuff." Magnet (4-5/00, pp.82-3) - "...Startlingly evocative, straight-from-the-heart lyrics....One of the most distinctive voices in whatever genre label you mistakenly choose to apply. Call it rock'n'roll and you can't go too far wrong." CMJ (3/20/00, p.3) - "...impressively raucous....a band with too much heart and not enough shame: They love classic rock, girls have dumped them, and they don't care if you know it....'a literate AC/DC'..." Mojo (Publisher) (11/00, p.112) - "...Truly impressive songsmiths whose smalltown lyrics and quirky delivery perfectly offset the singing Bielanko's embracing howl."
(*) MP3 for this song is from a different CD. Listen to the sound sample to be sure this is the version you're looking for.
Kids In Philly Review
Kids In Philly Music Reviews
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