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Jim Boggia
Safe in Sound
(Bluhammock)
First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2005, Volume 12, #7
Written by T.J. Simon
Philadelphia’s Jim Boggia specializes in acoustic rock in the tradition of
The Beatles, del Amitri, and Squeeze. On his sophomore effort Safe in Sound,
he delivers a dozen decent songs in desperate need of some stronger hooks. On
the rocker Underground, he tells the story of the revolutionary Weather
Underground with a guest appearance from MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer. Aimee Mann
co-wrote the unremarkable opening track Shine, and she lends her often
remarkable guest vocals to Where’s the Party, a song depicting an urban,
hipster, cocaine scene. Mann’s talents are a welcome addition to any album, but
one wishes she had joined this party on a stronger track.
Boggia’s new material is eclipsed by the strength of Safe in Sound’s
finest moment: the Elvis Costello-inspired
Made Me So Happy. The song is a
joyous burst of musical energy that is well-supported by guest vocalist Jill Sobule. Outside of this selection, the best track is the Beatles-influenced
Talk About the Weather, which gives the listener a glimpse of Boggia’s
considerable capabilities when he’s on his game. On Slowly, he tries to
milk Beach Boys-style harmonies out of his eight-track
recorder, but the lame underlying song betrays the cool production. Finally, the
disc’s wasted "bonus" track is the sound of rain falling, which endlessly
continues for nearly six minutes until it is interrupted by a payoff that
ultimately goes nowhere.
While there’s nothing of monumental brilliance contained on Safe in Sound,
there is nothing here that is terribly awful either. With a good voice, a solid
body of influences, and impeccable technical skills, Boggia clearly is capable
of delivering so much more, and this only adds to the frustration of listening
to this standard, run-of-the-mill, adult contemporary pop effort. 
Safe in Sound is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005
The Music Box
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