Buzzie

POP MATTERS Buzzie, Are You Feeling Anything Yet? (Big Digi) Are You Feeling Anything Yet? is the title of the former Blue Cartoon frontman's solo album, and you'd have to be six feet under to remain unmoved by this collection of catchy-as-hell pop rock. Hooks, melodies and yet more melodies burst out of these songs like rapid fire from an automatic weapon, beginning with "She's Gone", a quite brilliant song McElhenny wrote for Blue Cartoon that sounds better given the Buzzie treatment.

Songs like "Beautiful Beautiful", "My Little World of Love" and "I'm Inside You" are like manna from heaven for fans of Elvis Costello, The Loveless or other such power pop aficionados. Nearly every song is a bright, exuberant exponent of how music of this genre should be written, performed and produced, with tunes like the wonderfully upbeat "A Place to Go" a particularly good example. The acoustic, understated "Angela" slows things down and "The Same Thing" proves that often the simplest pop melodies work the best. Musically, Buzzie have all the depth of a thin and crispy pizza, but the band never try to be a Radiohead or Ryan Adams equivalent. Instead, with a pop songwriter as talented as McElhenny at the helm, they wisely stick to their strengths and the result is an album of sheer pop bliss.
? Andrew Ellis 2/6/2003 // Pop Matters / www.popmatters.com

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NOT LAME RECORDINGS
A winner on all fronts from this ex-lead singer of Blue Cartoon, who left the band(amicably) to pursue is his own music and we are all the better for it, judging from the multi-displayed charms spread out all over this debut! Naturally fans of his previous band will not want to miss out, but here the stunning singing from John McElhenney is this CD's strongest suit and, you know, we can't say that too often with pop music, quite honestly. First class all the way. There's plenty of roots-jangle exuberance to please the most casual pop fan, but it's a spirit in the songs' performances that really make this one so special for all.
Extremely Highly Recommended -- NLR

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FUFKIN
Rootsy power pop that illustrates what a difference a vocalist makes. Buzzie is basically John McElhenney, the former lead vocalist of Blue Cartoon. And McElhenney has a splendid voice, which effortlessly hits all the right notes. More importantly, he conveys so much emotion, which is vital, since his lyrics are extremely plainspoken (you would never call this cat pretentious). Love songs are just so much more effective when the singer sounds like he's in love (or just had his heart broken). 20/20's Ron Flynt produces and other Austin, Texas notables contribute, including Wit Williams of Cotton Mather.

The songs jangle away effectively. McElhenney wisely leads with his best known Blue Cartoon track, "She's Gone", one of those classic longing pop tunes with an indelible hook that will be showing up (in both the Blue Cartoon and Buzzie versions) on compilations for years to come. A few tracks come near that extremely high standard. I really like the moody "99 Days" ? this is so simple, McElhenney letting his voice carry the melody with minimal guitar, drums and organ providing just enough support. "The Same Thing" has a great hook, finding an urgent melody that is not only catchy but get across the feelings of the lyrics. There are some fine happy love songs ? "I'm Inside You" is a soaring jangle rocker and "Beautiful Beautiful" is more playful and soulful ? this is one of the few numbers where the low key playing may have been misguided, as it might sound better if it were played with a bit more vigor. Not as smooth as McElhenney's former band, but John still shows his love for easy going songs that are relaxing and engaging. -- M. Bennett / Fufkin.com

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Music Austin
Formerly with Blue Cartoon, John McElhenney formed Buzzie in the fall of 1999 to explore what he calls "the deeper side of pop."

John McElhenney is the guitarist, singer/songwriter at the front of Buzzie, a rock/pop band with an emphasis on the rock side of things. After three years as the vocalist and songwriter for Blue Cartoon, Are You Feeling Anything Yet? is John's debut solo album. The band members that make up the rest of Buzzie are Cotton Mather's Dana Myzer (drums) and Whit Williams (lead guitar) along with a host of guest players including Michael Ramos, Ron Flynt, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, and Mark Hallman. Buzzie's first release strikes into alt/pop/rock territory with sharp-edged guitar licks wrapped around warm vocals and timeless lyrics MA

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KoolKatMusic
Every nook and cranny is jam-packed with great, melodic, jangly guitar-driven numbers, tasty Hammond organ bits, heartfelt vocals + great playing! Catchy as heck! You bet we're feeling it! -- KoolKatMuzik

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The Original Sin (Germany)
It looks like a punkrecord but once it's in the player, you are going to hear some splendid powerpop in the tradition of Elvis Costello at the time he was at Stiff Records. The base of Buzzie is John McElhenney who after having played in Blue Cartoon formed Buzzie. The stuff that's been made has been succesfull so far (they have 7000 downloads per month) and that must have something to do with the popfactor that is around in Buzzie's music.... Despite the fact that Buzzie are an American band they definitely have a British Sound and with that in mind, they certainly can make it bigger.... (www.buzzie.com)
Review Dieder Becu

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