It must be the Carolina curse–like fellow natives Whiskeytown, Roman Candle found themselves in major-label limbo after signing with Hollywood in 2002 and seeing their debut album shelved without release. Better late than never, a remixed, reworked, and retitled version surfaces here. While the reedy vocals of frontman Skip Matheny fit comfortably into the alt-country camp, the band’s penchant for pop craftsmanship finds a kindred spirit in producer Chris Stamey. The rapturously romantic and melodically transcendent “You Don’t Belong to This World” recalls the Southern-pop heyday of Big Star and Stamey’s dB’s, as the stylistic range of the band (which also includes Matheny’s wife Timshel on keyboards and brother Logan on drums) extends from the hard-edged tale of betrayal in “Another Summer” to the soulful balladry of “I Can’t Even Recall,” with its organ bedrock and brass arrangement, and the McCartneyesque lilt of “Baby’s Got It in the Genes.” The influences are classic and timeless, but the production sounds aggressively modern. –Don McLeese

Atists:  Roman Candle
Audio CD: 
Company: V2 North America  (2006-06-20)
List Price: $13.98
Amazon Price: $5.75
Used Price: $3.95

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