Description:
Following through on a fascination with the year 1947 ("That year keeps cropping up," says the author), Michael Penn`s Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 provides a lyrical and spiritual backdrop before which he weaves a now familiar melancholic pop. Produced and mixed by Michael in his home studio - which no doubt has the entire Beatles catalog close at hand for reference - this is surely to be marked as one of his finest moments. Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 is both moving and beautiful, and paints a unique picture of a Los Angeles that doesn`t exist anymore, giving each tune a ghostly quality. Stirring and reflective, his sorrow-touched tunes find a brief moment of hope in his acknowledgement that "things are looking up" on the delightful "On Automatic", a 2 minute slice of breezy pop perfection that falsely ends the album. The disc`s "p.s." ghost track, "Millionaire" is simply a remarkable acoustic solo sendoff from one of the best songwriters this side of Elvis Costello. Featured guests on this brilliant Post-war pop-noir ode include harmony vocalists Buddy Judge (Snow & Voices, Aimee Mann) and Gary Louris (Jayhawks), with wife Aimee Mann chiming in a bit between bass parts.
