FRAMES OF MIND (WITH BRAD ALLEN)

This album displays some of the worst tendencies of the New Wave era. Here we have Kit Watkins, the superb keyboardist that most of us know from Happy the Man, team up with a singer/guitarist named Brad Allen. Together, they appear to be serving up an imitation of New Wave electronic pop. Allen even goes out of his way to imitate the thin, off-key vocals of New Wave darlings Ric Ocasik and David Byrne.

The songs are highly forgettable, and even Watkins' keyboards aren't enough to save the album. On the last few tracks of the album, the style trends toward the acid dance music of the day: upbeat, beat heavy, highly repetitive rhythms with not much inside.

This one is really for the Watkins' collectors. Available for free download from his web site.