It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
5
By TheRobio
Mark Bacino could continue to churn out album after album of the exquisitely perfect Pop Gems he provided on his first two records, and you would be blissfully content forever. For once his beautifully unforgettable songs have wrapped themselves around your heart, they stay with you, and make you smile, just like an old friend. But, infectiously impeccable hooks and harmonies aside, he is, after all, an artist, and artists do grow. With 'Queens English', Mark makes a musical transition from the breathless exhilaration of first love to the sometimes bittersweet joys of starting a family. He's grown up, for sure, but lost none of the wide eyed wonder that made his first two outings resonate so deeply. Heartfelt and emotional, but never cloyingly sappy or over sentimental, Queen's English is brilliantly diverse, yet cohesive in a 'concept album' sort of way. Each track is its' own jewel, while simultaneously helping to tell a story that is filled with laughter and tears, just like life. From the simple, sing a long celebration of 'Happy', to the warm, sweet 'Ballad of M and LJ' to the achingly beautiful 'Bridge and Tunnel', that is every bit as great as any song Harry Nilsson ever wrote, (I can actually see him sitting on the other side of the piano watching Mark sing and smiling proudly) Queens English is a total winner. There is not a false note to be found anywhere here. Like everything else Mark writes, after you've heard it, you'll want to listen to it again. And again. And again. There is nothing better than the feeling of being in very capable hands, and with Mark Bacino, they are the hands of a master.
