Stories

• Stories [Kama Sutra, 1972] B
• About Us [Kama Sutra, 1973] B+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Stories [Kama Sutra, 1972]
The Left Banke, Mike Brown's long-ago previous group, seem a little prissy in retrospect, but they were sweet at the time, no? Well, this may seem prissy some day, too, but it'll never seem sweet--too intense. And if the other songs had the melodic sinew of "St. James" and "Step Back" it might seem quite strong now. B

About Us [Kama Sutra, 1973]
This group tests our male-timbre chauvinism--Ian Lloyd sounds disconcertingly like a goil. Too bad he voices the same old male sentiments--don't let me down, push me 'round, or complain when I leave at the dawning--because the music is special: dense, clean, kinetic, almost mid-Beatles in spirit, but contemporary. If only they'd written one lyric as breathtaking as most of Michael Brown's melodies or as strong and as flexible as Lloyd's voice turns out to be or as commercial-meaningful as their hit remake of Hot Chocolate's "Brother Louie." B+