Shy Nobleman - How to Be Shy

All Music Guide

Shy Nobleman's debut is an above-average psychedelic/'60s-style effort, and far more diverse than most of such productions from the early 21st century are. There are a lot of influences combining in different ways here, including Byrdsian guitars, power pop (particularly, of course, in "Power Pop Symphony"), whimsical British folk-psych in the Syd Barrett/Incredible String Band style ("Cats"), pounding Whoish hard rock, and bouncy 1967-style McCartney-like pop ("Fireworks Tonight"). He has an engaging sense of melody, and is less strong as a singer, but projects the appropriate sincerity necessary to elevate this above mimicry. There are occasional knowing references to icons worshiped by the kind of people who have record collections that are, one would guess, similar to his own. Roger McGuinn, Eric Carmen, Scott Walker, and Alex Chilton are all referred to in "Fireworks Tonight," and the girl who claims that Stevie Winwood is her dad in "Spring B (Stevie Winwood)" is certainly an off...-the-wall character as far as romantic songs go. Something else that sets Nobleman apart from many artists with similar inspirations is his deft use of strings and brass to expand the sound beyond the same-old parameters, really enhancing the hooks in songs like "Lonely Boy" and particularly "Spring B (Stevie Winwood)," which would have been hitbound if these kinds of songs had any chance of getting onto commercial playlists in 2001. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Read more Less