With ace previous LPs Guest Host and The Naked Dutch Painter, Stew pitched himself as a boho-Sondheim with the melodic chops of Bacharach and the withering wit of Randy Newman. Ditching those records’ surreal blasts of Weimar cabaret and creepy, Love-like pop for a more linear approach, this ‘2 am kinda record’ is warmer and less pessimistic. The pithy social critique of “LA Arteest Cafe” and “Kingdom Of Drink” is a joy.
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