Gritty, yet soulful vocals stand tall amid beautifully messy guitars, reminding me a little of King's X, among others, but with a little more tonal variety on the strings. The vocals display a Motown quality, not unlike a modern rock James Brown (specifically in "Here Come the Bugs"). "Starbucks® Girl," a cute little ditty about a crush on an employee of the cafe, sticks out as the album's lighthearted song, as the lyrics ponder, "this could be love, or maybe it's just really good coffee... No one makes a tall mint latté quite like you." This is a pretty decent effort, written, played, and produced well, though not a ton different than the norm.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Joe RockstrohSkypark has one of those unique sounds, a mixture of funk, blues, modern rock, and some rootsy rock-n-roll. If you can imagine a funked-up Pearl Jam with some bluesy vocals, you're on the right path. But Am I Pretty? has an edge to it, both musically and lyrically. The second song, "Emily's Love Song," is the story of a girl who is constantly changing boyfriends and shows the results of such…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Josh SpencerAre you pretty? Well, yeah, you're kind of attractive sometimes. Better than average, anyway. The way you sing those great big choruses with varied vocals is really nice, although I prefer the shaky-from-emotion or white-guy-does-Doug Pinnick (King's X) styles to the over-affected Seven Day Jesus whine or the Black Crowes party blues voice (you just aren't my type when you do the latter). You…Similar sounding releases
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