"THIS IS YOUR LIFE CD" by Richie Unterberger (2005)

Shades of pop, folk, and even traces of Irish and Celtic music find their way into his brand of rock, straightforward and earnest, yet packed with witticisms and eccentricities. Wacky references to popular culture, whimsical nostalgia, and a generally amused joy in the ups and downs of everyday life abound. Carleton also has fun both paying homage to and subverting aspects of his musical heritage. He uses many of the lyrics of Buddy Holly's 'Words of Love' in the track of the same name on this disc, for instance, but matching them to an entirely different melody, he changes it to something entirely more contemplative, adult, and melancholic.

The record sounds more mundane on paper, perhaps, than it really is; it's a low-key pleasure to be enjoyed by those who like heartfelt music that doesn't feel like it needs to be overtly weird, harsh, or dissonant to be independent of popular trends.

The one substantial criticism that could be levied is that the production is sometimes thin and not of the highest standard, though it could also be argued that this lo-fi lack of pretense (with Carleton often playing and singing everything himself) suits the artist's auteurist aesthetic."

"WHISKEY ISLAND, DENNY CARLETON AMG EXPERT REVIEW" by Richie Unterberger

Carleton's voice retains its appealing, slightly vibrant, Celtic-tinged quality. His melodies are pleasant, and there are numerous odd twists in his lyrics that you won't find in those by a lot of polite, contemporary folksingers (like the mix of ecology and love in 'Environmental Girlfriend'). Also, unlike a lot of folky performers in his position, Carleton resists the always ill-founded strategy of over-production in an effort to capture the adult-contemporary market.

There are electric instruments here, but they're played sensitively, as if they were acoustic ones; the percussion and bass are light and sympathetic. So one might ask, Why don't they play this guy on public radio or Prairie Home Companion? Unfortunately, the answer has more to do with circumstance than talent.

"IF THESE ARE MEN" by Jeff Jarema - Sundazed Records

"MY LOVE I WON'T ADMIT" by Steve Petryszn - Record Roundup and co-producer of Pride Of Cleveland Past.

"WHO'S BEEN FOOLING WHO?" by Dino Dimuro - Option Magazine

The rest of the tape is supposedly comprised of the golden Hits of 1993, but forget that. Cheese-O-Casio, tasty guitar and engaging melodies form these quirky oddball tunes. And just so you don's forget, is a man with a taperecorder; one song is interupted and rewound until Carleton hit's the right note.

Not for everybody but a heck of a find."

(NOTE: This author reviewed Denny a often, telling him that his job was as a sound effects man for hollywood movies, one of which was for Home Alone. Reviewing independent music was his hobby.)

"COLOR WITH CRAYONS" - Best Pick

Not for the ordinary. Egg Salad goes nicely with salt crackers. Echoes in my head. More art, less music. Innovative, funny says the Banff Herald.

Jump in your car and go and see it. Don't be shy if it hurts. Woeful, yet fluffy. Slick production in the end. Explores many genres in one tape and all it takes is a supreme lack of conventionality."

"COLOR WITH CRAYONS" by Richie Unterberger - Swellsville

As for his current work, he seems to be caught between two worlds; too avant garde for the Pop audience. He's nonetheless way too pop (and has way too big of a heart for the self-conscious avante-garde "underground". This is a loss for both audiences, as the tape combines the best aspects of "accessible" and "underground" pop music.

This collects an hour of Dennis fooling around at his home studio on Casio, guitars and drum machines. Mostly these are continuous fragments of still developing (or never developed original songs, most of them only one or two minute long, with some instrumental bits, and backwards tapes thrown in. It's always intensely melodic and personal, despite it's radical structure; I get the feeling that if he ever fully developed these songs with a group in a studio, much of their charm and idiosyncracy would be forever lost.

Unlike almost every other rock musician, above or underground, Carleton sees that the conception and devolopment of music can be as meaningfull as the finished product. Despite (or maybe because of) it's stuttering, unfinished feel, this is a great listen, ever surprising, with hardly a slow moment. This topped my best of 1985 list, but nobody else (except for fellow critic Chris Stigliano) seems to know or care about it - even the affeciaondos of the home taping underground. Am I the only one who thinks this is the cutting edge of pop/rock in the mid- eighties? Let Me know."

(NOTE: "What I was trying to do with 'Color With Crayons' was a few things.. Richie was right when he said that I was showing the development of a song. He saw what I was trying to do. I also thought that these little song fragments that I put together in a collage were really interesting little bits, that in themselves would be forever lost. I was releasing my bootleg tapes before I made it because I thought it was interesting idea. I also thought that by putting a tape out like this I would be going down a creative path rather than a commercial one." -Denny)

Most of the other selections are poetic songs structured on this sixties pop sensibilities. Sometimes Dennis reminds me of some of Larry Norman's early style with People and his solo career.

Overall, this tape is a nice introspection of some of Denny Carleton's songs. Good for those who enjoy the sound of the sixties Pop Style."