Cake

A beautifully full, sweetly melodic pop album that is so lush with sound, it takes a few listens to realize that, remarkably, all the songs are performed with only acoustic instruments. Rhythm guitars provide a thick mattress on which the rest of the elements gently bounce. No single note rises above another. The well-harmonized vocals blend perfectly with the rest of the instruments. The lyrics are fanciful plays on words, but they're sung so earnestly that one still finds relevance and meaning in them. "Obscurity Knocks" and "Only Tongue Can Tell" are the best examples of cleverly skewed lyrics supported by elegant melodies. Overall, Cakeis a wonderful acoustic accomplishment. --Beth Bessmer