Brian Simpson plays that sort of music that you feel like you've heard before but can't really remember when or who else plays that sort of music. It carries all the influences of Bob Dylan and The Allman Brothers and ends up sounding something like what Van Morrison has been doing for the past decade or so and where Brian Kennedy et al have followed. Country and folk influenced rock 'n' roll all played to rockabilly beats, sincere lyrics and hints towards a time when music was just a little more wholesome and meaningful. Generally, just the sort of toe-tapping music that VH1 used to be interested in before the nightmare of rebranding.
"Invisible Prison" is a master-class in country-influenced rock 'n' roll - plenty of banjo and pedal steel and some melodies that The Eagles just missed out on. "I Will Wait For You" begins as a folk song that is reminiscent of Idlewild's acoustic version of "Too Long Awake" that begins as a nice change of pace but, disappointingly, quickly falls into another rock song on an EP surrounded by rock songs. The whole sound of Postcard from L.A. is epitomized by "Turbulence" and "Your Heart Already Knows". The former sounding like stadium-rock era Bon Jovi and the latter having just been done too many times before - both good songs but perhaps a hint at what is wrong with Brian Simpson.
It's hard to work out if Brian Simpson is good, or just good at what he does. There is no doubt that he is good at what he does, but the thought of being exogenously good leaves mixed feelings. Sometimes, it's easy to pick out the subtle differences that add a more modern edge to the songs on Postcard from L.A., at others, they are only found through the power of suggestion. Certainly more evident in the early parts of Postcards from L.A., the modernity seems to fade away and get lost in the rock 'n' roll muddle that the album closes with. On the surface, maybe Brian Simpson sounds like a lot of things that you've never quite heard before, but with a more attentive listen, there are one or two surprises to be found.
