"Looks Like I'm Tall" in Northeast Performer

There was a little review of my album, "Looks Like I'm Tall" in this month's issue of Northeast Performer Magazine. Here is what it said. Any comments?

"Henning Ohlenbusch steps away from his band, School for the Dead, and offers up the self-written, performed, recorded, and produced Looks Like I'm Tall. Ohlenbusch showcases eleven finely crafted, simple yet effective pop songs.

"But We Did" sets the tone for the album with clean vocals, simple drumbeats, and thoughtful lyrics. "Looks Like I'm Tall" is a song of acceptance, with more meaning found in Ohlenbusch's fragile voice than in his weighty lyrics. "A Machine to Break Your Heart" has a strong "Yellow Submarine" or Harry Nilsson vibe, but does not fall into the realm of impersonation.

"20,000 Dollars" recounts the tale of a person who thinks he needs just a little more to be happy. It urges this person to look for happiness in the simpler avenues right in front of him with one of the more beautiful choruses on the album: "You can make the same mistake every single day / And every chance you get to take, you let slip away / And you can tell them if they ask that I stayed home tonight / And you can tell them if you like, that everything's all right."

Looks Like I'm Tall does have a few faults. The percussion on "The Center of Time" is initially enjoyable, but tedious after being looped for four minutes. Still, it's well worth a listen simply because of Ohlenbusch's lyrical strength and because the album is a complete work meant to be listened to as a whole.

With a simplistic innocence, Ohlenbusch's arrangements and songwriting offer an enjoyable 40 minutes, occasionally reminiscent of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. (Rub Wrongways Records)

-Paul Price