A Retro British Invasion
Bruce Von Stiers
I got this new album in the mail a while back. I know that there is a big movement towards ‘60's retro, but I hadn't expected anything like this. The duo behind this album call themselves The Red Button. Their retro pop album is She's About To Cross My Mind.
The two guys behind The Red Button are Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg. Believe it or not, Swirsky wrote Tell It To My Heart, the chart topping hit by Taylor Dane. He also has either written or co-written songs for other top artists such as Celine Dion and Al Green. Ruekberg had been the front man for Minneapolis based pop rock band Rex Daisy. He later became a highly sought after studio musician in L.A. Ruekberg also wrote the soundtrack from the indie film, Dummy, that starred Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich.
This album will take the listener back to the days of the British Invasion. You will be reminded of the Beatles, Paul Revere and other bubblegum pop music from the early and mid 1960's.
There are 11 songs on the album. Each one was written by Seth and Mike. The album lasts 32 and a half minutes. Mike produced the album. The guys played instruments on the album. They had help by musicians John Fields, Mike Datz, Don Kerian, Petur Smith, Jerry Anderson, Stevie Blacke and Monty DeCarlo. Smith, Anderson and DeCarlo shared duties on the drums. Fields did guitar on one song and bass on seven of the others. Datz played the slide guitar on one songs and Kerian blew his horn on another. And Blacke provided the strings music on one particular song.
Cruel Girl is the first song. Right away you will be reminded of the Beatles. The sound of this song could have absolutely done by the boys from Liverpool .
The title track, She's About To Cross My Mind, is up second. This one could be picked out of the Top 10 British Invasion list if it had been done back then. Light and easy music and catchy lyrics make this a fun song to listen to.
That's the thing about this album. If you can't stand early Beatles music or anything from the British Invasion of the ‘60's, then you won't like this album. In a round about way, this is a tribute album to those heady days of pop music.
She's Going Down is the debut single from the album. The sly lyrics will bring a smile to your face and the music will remind you of one of those ‘60's songs whose title you can't quite remember.
The song that I liked the best on the album is Can't Stop Thinking About Her. It has more of a subtle beat, with breathy vocals.
Gonna Make You Mine is one of those songs that so much reminds you of another song. But damned if I can think of the title of the pop song it reminds me of. Maybe that's the thing. Mike and Seth grabbed the styling of a whole bunch of those old pop songs and melded them together. If so, the result is fun, but confusing to those who really want to be able to compare those old songs with these new ones. Or maybe it's just me who's confused.
Ooh Girl is another single that the guys are pushing. It starts out with a bit of string music and then moves into a Donovan styled bubblegum piece.
If you like any of the British Invasion music, then this album will be a good fit for you. The Red Button have captured the essence of that musical era and put forth an album that would make any British Invasion group proud. This is retro pop at it's very best.
You can hear songs from She's About To Cross My Mind on The Red Button web site. You can also order a copy of the album there. The site can be found at www.theredbutton.net .
© 2007 Bruce E Von Stiers