The Low Stars
Starbucks Hear Music

Real harmonies in acoustic pop-rock return courtesy of The Low Stars. The band’s name is a play on the group being all-stars of sorts; the band features Jeff Russon of the tasteful Tonic, Dave Gibbs from the ’90s power-poppin’ outfit, Gigolo Aunts, Chris Seefried of Gods Child, and longtime L.A.-area folk poet Jude. After some local gigging and buzz-collecting, the group signed a deal with Starbucks Hear Music, but the album is so good, here’s hoping it reaches beyond the coffee empire.

Touchstones for The Low Stars include The Eagles and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young when both of those iconic outfits were young. The absence of this kind of sound makes it all the fresher. A sheer stand-out is “Callin’ All Friends”, which has already received regular TV play as the theme for ABC’s “What About Brian”, while “Child” could be a new generation “Teach Your Children”.

Other stand-outs include the starry-eyed yet sap-avoiding “Love, Love,Love”, and hometown reflection of eventual transitions in “LA Forever”. Name another group with four capable and quite distinct vocalists and the skills for subdued yet still dynamic arrangments… Okay, yeah, Los Lobos, but that’s a different thing.

The Low Stars hit some musical heights with this debut, and you should not miss them live when those harmonies rise even higher on the gliding tunes for some special musical magic.

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