By the writers of Last Word Features

The Like: ‘Release Me’ (Geffen/Downtown)
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Now that the Go-Go’s have called it quits, the music scene could use another all-girl power pop/new wave band to fill the void. From the sound of “Release Me,” The Like may be the band most likely to fill the void.

On this CD, produced with some cool retro touches by trendy producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse), The Like shows more of a 1960s pop/Ronettes influence than the Go-Go’s, but there’s no shortage of hooks here. Songs like “Walk Of Shame” and “He’s Not A Boy” are bouncy uber-catchy songs that should satisfy any pop fan’s thirst for made-for-summer melodies. When the group slows things down a bit (as on “Narcissus in a Red Dress”), there’s no loss of melody, and these songs give “Release Me” a bit of welcome ebb and flow in the tempo department.

There is, however, no waning in the quality of the CD; there’s not a dud in the 12 songs here. The Like may not be that original, but there’s no arguing with the songwriting or the easy appeal of “Release Me.” The Like is ready to win over power pop/garage pop fans everywhere. – Alan Sculley
Buy if you like: The Bangles, the Ronettes.

Jimmie Vaughan: ‘Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites’ (Shout Factory)
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Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan seems most at home in the jump-blues era, when big-finned land yachts, slicked-back hair and honkin’ saxes ruled. He fills this album with hefty nuggets from that period, like “(She’s Got the) Blues for Sale,” “RM Blues” and “The Pleasure’s All Mine,” and gives others, like “I’m Leavin’ It Up to You,” horn treatments, too.

Unfortunately, he also relies on old pal Lou Ann Barton for vocal support, but her limited-range and almost atonal sound drags down cuts like “Come Love.” The Barton-free tunes fare better; Vaughan’s instrumental original, “Comin’ & Goin’,” is quite tasty. “Roll Roll Roll” is another standout. But the late Bill Willis’ singing and virtuosic B3 solo make his cover of Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away” the defining moment of this disc  — and its salvation.

If only he’d handled the rest of the vocals. Then we’d really have something jumpin’. — Lynne Margolis
Buy if you like: Louis Jordan, Louis Prima.

Paul Thorn: ‘Pimps and Preachers’ (Perpetual Obscurity)
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Paul Thorn sings about the raw underbelly, the population segments that both fascinate and repulse those who don’t dwell there. Yet he somehow manages to turn his personal stories (including the title tune) and observations into universal truths — most clearly on “You’re Not the Only One” (“when you sing this song, insert your name/the problems we have are all the same”). But every track contains some well-phrased bit of wisdom, from  “Tequila is Good for the Heart” and “Better Days Ahead,” to “I Hope I’m Doin’ This Right” and “You Might Be Wrong.” Even “I Don’t Like Half the Folks I Love,” “Love Scar” (with its great mid-tempo melody), “Weeds in My Roses,” the funky “Buckskin Jones” and the lovely “Walk a Mile in Rayann’s Shoes” carry worthy messages. And the bluesy, bittersweet “That’s Life” provides a wonderful finish to a batch of songs that always hit just the right note. — Lynne Margolis
Buy if you like: JJ Grey, Fred Eaglesmith.

22-20s: ‘Shake/Shiver/Moan’ (TBD Records)
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The term roots pop isn’t all that rare in rock. But few bands have a sound that more closely embodies that description than what the 22-20s deliver on “Shake/Shiver/Moan.” The pop part of the sound, of course, comes from the melodic dimension in the group’s music, and songs like “Latest Hearbreak,” “Heart on a String” and “4th Floor” have solid hooks.

The roots elements come into play with the blues, heartland rock and occasional folk sounds that are also a big a part of the 22-20’s sound. Blues-tinged songs like the title track and “Bitter Pills” give “Shake/Shiver/Moan” a harder edge than many CDs one would describe as pop. On the title song, a lead guitar line brings the blues and put some sting into the track. “Bitter Pills,” meanwhile, gets its blues from being a slow burning ballad with an appealingly downbeat melody. On “4th Floor,” there’s a bit of the folk jangle of the Byrds, but the song rocks harder than that famous group’s influential sound.

The sturdy mid-tempo track “96 to 4” is one of several songs that blends a heartland rock feel (think early John Mellencamp) with pop. The various shadings of styles work well together, making “Shake/Shiver/Moan” a cohesive effort. A couple of lackluster tracks do interrupt the CD’s momentum, but for the most part, “Shake/Shiver/Moan” leaves the listener looking forward to hearing more from this British group. — Alan Sculley
Buy if you like: Wilco, the Yardbirds.

Marah: ‘Life is a Problem’ (Valley Farm Songs)
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Thoughout Marah’s history, the one constant was the brotherhood: Serge and Dave Bielanko, forever out to spread their rock ‘n’ roll gospel to an inappropriately unappreciative world. This time, though, Serge is gone and the torch is now balanced between Dave and Christine Smith. They’re still producing Marah’s beguilingly off-the-deep-end collision of folk, rock and whatever else fits (or doesn’t), but it doesn’t inspire the same level of affection, especially after the pinnacle reached on their last release, “Angels of Destruction!”

Still, there are moments to love here. “Muskie Moon” would be right at home on “Exile on Main Street,” “Valley Farm Song” is an oddly pleasing mess of Celtic rock and “Bright Morning Stars” is cute; even the out-of-tune fiddle is endearing. (They resolutely recorded with a motley bunch of cast-off instruments for resolutely down-home charm.) Even the disjointed hidden track rocks. But Serge, they still need you. — Lynne Margolis
Buy if you like: Steve Earle, Old 97’s

Reissue:
The Undertones: ‘The Undertones,’ ‘Hypnotized,’ ‘Positive Touch,’ ‘The Sin Of Pride,’  (Union Square Music)
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This Irish band never was as heralded as some of its first-wave punk peers, such as the Clash, Ramones or Buzzcocks, and usually isn’t considered as influential as those bands. But the digital-only re-release of the Undertones’ four albums provides an opportunity to re-examine the group’s music – and just maybe its place in punk history.

Singer Feargal Sharkey could be an acquired taste, what with his quavering high-pitched voice (think Rush’s Geddy Lee singing in an earthquake). Few, however, would question that the Undertones were one of the better bands on the scene.

The group’s self-titled debut is a classic of power pop-laced punk, with songs like “Girls Don’t Like It” and “Jump Boys” that are short, sharp gems. The group never matched the immediacy of the debut, but the songwriting grew in range, depth and sophistication on subsequent albums, as influences like soul and ‘60s pop music asserted themselves strongly on later albums like 1981’s “Positive Touch” and 1983’s “The Sin Of Pride” (the group’s final CD) and the group’s lyrics grew more mature and occasionally even took on a topical bent (particularly on “Positive Touch”).

The growth in the group’s music in its later years leaves one wondering just how good the Undertones could have become had tensions between Sharkey and the other band members not broken up the group. But with these re-releases, at least fans get to rediscover one of the punk era’s most underrated bands.  – Alan Sculley
Buy if you like: the Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello