The Facts
Artist	Second Hand Poets
Album	Afternoon In Aberdeen
Musicians	Dave Thomas - Lead vocals, backing vocals, 6-string rhythm guitar & 12-string guitar, harmonica & hand claps Dan Thomas - Lead guitar, backing vocal, & finger snaps Dave May - Percussion, backing vocal, & hand claps Robb Pomis - Bass Guitar
Produced By	Second Hand Poets
Engineered By	Steve Jacula, assisted by Dave Petigo
Mixed and Mastered By	Kurt Larson at Precision Recording
Recorded At	Old Plank Sonic Laboratories, Chicago
Track Listing	1). Waiting For You 2). Left You Lonely 3). Last Night In Georgia 4). Afternoon In Aberdeen 5). Sorry Rose-Marie 6). Crowded Rooms 7). Travelin' Song 8). Break Of Day 9). Davenport Street 10).Twenty-Six Days 11).Wanna Get Next To You 12).Under A Sky Like Today
Record Label	Self-Released
Available At	Second Hand Poets and many area record stores
Reviewed By	Brian Williamson
The Opinion
All these country songs without a single mention of an eighteen-wheeler or a dozen roses. What gives? Actually, Second Hand Poets are more of a cross between Rusted Root and country. Their singer is all country, yet musically they could be considered acoustic rock. AFTERNOON IN ABERDEEN is a crisp production with minimalist qualities. Many songs have little or no percussion, leading me to believe that the band may focus on smaller venues. They are likely impressive in this type of an environment. Most of the tracks begin with a lone acoustic guitar - the light finger picking met with a very country male vocal. Second Hand Poets often stay true to their name, echoing stories we’ve heard before. “Crowded Rooms” tells us of a particular lost love leaving on an airplane. The singer didn’t know what he had until she was gone…imagine that! In this sense, the band is certainly not breaking any new ground. However, that’s not always a bad thing. How many songs have been written about chicks, cars or a hard night of drinking? Speaking of the hard night of drinking tune, “Travelin’ Song” is a good example of the type of music you’ll find on AFTERNOON IN ABERDEEN. The song begins with an acoustic guitar strumming chords. The guitar is met with sparse drums and strong vocals (sharing tales of drinking a woman off his mind). While the drums play at an upbeat tempo, they are thin. It reminded me of watching a band whose drummer has dropped one of his sticks. He keeps playing with one hand while he picks up the other stick. It keeps the beat, but doesn’t sound as full as it could. Again, in a coffeehouse, this would work just fine. On a recording, it sounds as though something is missing. An electric guitar would also provide some needed flavor, especially in the leads. The title track is the highlight of the CD. An intimate guitar and a harmonica set the mood. The vocals also provide nice emotion on the song. “Sorry Rose-Marie” is a nice change of pace, giving off a lot of energy. The jazzy guitar work on “Break of Day” also brought a different element to the effort. The singer varies his phrasing and tempo throughout the songs, which helps to keep things fresh, while the bareness of the instrumentation sometimes lacks effective dynamics. The songs are interesting enough to keep one’s attention, though they blend after a while. There are probably too many songs on the release as a whole. If you like country music, you should check out Second Hand Poets - especially if your woman just dumped you and you want to drink her off your mind.
Nutshell Review
A solid effort that will please country/rock fans.
© 2000-2002 Chicago-Music-Scene.com