The fact that Mr. Gregory Douglass isn't selling out concert halls across the nation is a damn shame. Gregory, who has been written and creating music for years, has released a slew of albums, among them the masterpieces Up & Away, Stark, and Pseudo-Rotary, regarded as fans to be a trilogy of his greatest work. Described as "evocative pop," this 2004 album is one of the strongest albums to ever have been recorded.

On this album, in comparison to is earlier If I Were a Man and Teeter albums, Rotary takes his emotional brand of pop music and pairs it with some core experimentation that takes his already strong songwriting to an entirely new level. The progression of the albums kind of takes you from where he was and where he would go with his later works. Beginning with the Teeter-esque I Wanted to Run, we experience the first facet of Douglass's music: pop rock. Possibly one of the catchiest of his tracks, I Wanted to Run is a fun song that any fan of college radio would love. Very REM. From there get much more introspective on the experimental tracks Wall To Wall and Rise, both of which capture an "escape" theme with eloquence. Wall to Wall is the kind of song you'd hear in a movie trailer, with a chorus that will seems to define CDBaby's "evocative" description, while the latter is much more theatrical and progressive.

I find it very easy to listen to this album despite its intricate production, as it finds just the right balance of accessibility and depth. The pop rock tracks Can't Stand Up and Usual Denials would make any coffee-house fanboy squirm in his seat at just how great these tracks are. Can't Stand Up is the kind of track that you put on when you're fed up, but not necessarily angry. He took the better part of the cafe-house sound from the 1990s and made it into something less pretentious and much more enjoyable for a broader scope of people.

Piano track The Ride gives a great glimpse into Gregory's musical future, as he would later perfect his classical chops on Up & Away and on the upcoming Battler. Hush, which is probably my favorite cut on the album, is a soft Björk/Imogen Heap-esque track that really can't be described. The beauty of it must be heard in order to comprehend.

The album closes with some sort tracks, but not before we get Quiet in the Shade, which is one of the most (of not the most) experimental song of his career-- it's loud, it's in your face, it's dripping with complex arrangements. It's the one track on the album that may take you a few listens to understand.

Overall, Pseudo-Rotary from Gregory Douglass gets 5/5 stars. Solid pop rock music with a twist.

Tracklist
I Wanted to Run
Wall to Wall
The Ride
Can't Stand Up
Rise
Wait For Me
Everything
Hush
Quiet in the Shade
Rotunda
Stranger
Gone

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Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing