Album Review: Ted Leo

Artist: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Album: Living with the Living
Release Date: March 20, 2007
Recommended Tracks: Bomb.Repeat.Bomb., Bottle of Buckie, Colleen
Rating: &hearts &hearts &hearts &hearts 1/2 (out of 5)

It's a new release Tuesday, and there's finally something for me to talk about!

Ted Leo, who I have deemed the "blue-collar hardest working man in show bussiness" released his much anticipated new album Living with the Living today. The New Jersey native indie rocker gained some recognition a few years ago after releasing a cover of Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, building his small fan base into a much wider one. For Ted Leo fans this album has been highly anticipated after Shake the Sheets was released in 2004, and it shows a great amount of growth in production and musical styles for the entire group.

Living with the Living features textbooks example of Ted Leo's musical style, with muscular guitars and strong support from the Pharmacists' rhythm section. However, the group flexes it's musical muscles with Rude Boy rhythms and some acoustic breaks. Ted brings political agenda to the table, confronting the war in Iraq on the track Bomb.Repeat.Bomb, but accompanying his lyrics with a rushed punk rock guitar accompaniment, creating a raucous anthem. For me, the songs that I enjoy the most are the ones that I envision working well on stage, with Ted backed solely by the 2 members of the Pharmacists, and many of these tracks fit perfectly into the energetic stage presence that Ted Leo and the Pharmacists embody.

Look for Living with the Living at a record store near you, and if you can't find it, REQUEST IT! Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are currently on a US tour to support the album. Visit www.tedleo.com to find a complete list of tour dates.