DAVE STEPHENS
Stories for Copper
(Self-released)
www.davestephens.ca

Who is Dave Stephens?

A precious talent that the pop underground should sit up and proudly claim as its very own! That’s who!

With the kind of melodic prowess that the likes of Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Emitt Rhodes, Badfinger, Queen, Styx and 10cc would be dead chuffed to possess, Stephens throws out strapping tunes and pleasing arrangements with deftness and intelligence that belies his relative anonymity.

Better yet, Stories for Copper is his sophomore effort following the strong showing of his wondrous debut, Here We Go that means double the pleasure!

If all this sounds like a paradise for 70s pop-rock junkies, then you’re absolutely right! I mean, Stephens is not afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve. It all sounds so familiar and yet so distinctive – the mark of a classic songwriter with all the right moves (and skill) to put together an album that is at once refreshing and evocative.

Now, there is enough here to suggest that Stories for Copper will end up in my year-end albums list. Take for example, the wistful “The Man That I Once Knew,” the spine tingling “Home,” the lovely “Just Enough,” the dreamy title track and so on.

I am not going to mince my words, if you (like me) believe that the best music ever made happened in the 70s, then Stephens has done the perfect job in channeling the spirit of that heady era, without slavish imitation but instead, imbuing enough of his own personality to make Stories for Copper a unique and memorable aural experience. A+

PoPinions with Dave Stephens right over here.