Steve Pomplon Band

When Steve Pomplon writes songs, he is conscious of the fundamental connection he makes with the
music and lyrics. Pomplon explains, “If I am genuine enough in the writing process, [the music] can flourish
with different audiences.” The Steve Pomplon Band’s first release, 9:31, is a canorous euphony comprised
of nine well produced songs that are heart-felt deliveries of emotions. Each song on the CD is an attempt
to enlighten the soul in unique ways. The bouncy opening track, “Upon My Return,” is a delectable ode to
keeping promises. “Write Me A Song,” is a clean shuffle with the innocence of warm “I love yous” abound
that makes for a true happy yearning track. “Pripyat” ventures in the dark of relationship uncertainty, but
does so with class and without any mention of Chernobyl . Track eight, “Starry Night,” has swirls of R.E.M
with a hint of country twang, but is simply so head-bobbing indie that it leaves you smiling and glad to be
alive. Pomplon’s voice is comforting and unique, breathy and confident, and never pushing his range.
Overall, SPB is by far Baltimore ’s best kept secret this side of college radio. - Shockwave Magazine

Steve Pomplon Band releases some very nice, listenable pop
February 17, 2010

By Stephen Carradini

It always worries me when someone gets compared to James Taylor. Whether it’s a self-comparison or an outside evaluation, it’s just discomforting to hear new artists compared to the king of nice. JT, for all his talent, specialized in nice tunes. They didn’t push the envelope, rock the boat, make waves, innovate, or blow the doors off. They just were really solid, pretty, nice songs. The reason he got away with being so static in his songwriting was that his voice is ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous. “Mexico” is not that exciting musically, but I feel like James Taylor is hugging me when he starts singing.

And unless you’ve got golden pipes, getting compared to James Taylor means bad things for your songwriting.

The Steve Pomplon Band compared themselves to JT in their neatly handwritten note accompanying their album (note to other artists: handwritten notes = WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN). After hearing 9:31 several times through, I can come to no better comparison than that. Pomplon’s voice, while not as smooth and effortless as Taylor’s, is definitely easy on the ears. The songs incorporate folk influences into the easy-going pop sound, but not enough to make this a folk album. This is a straight-up pop album, a little to the right of Coldplay’s Parachutes and a little to the left of Ben Harper. It’s a solid debut that avoids all missteps by not taking big steps of any kind.

Highlights include the bouncy “Journeys”; the easy-swaying, romantic closer “This Little Song”; and the dreamy “Pripyat.” There isn’t a bad song in the nine, but those that aren’t mentioned are all just nice. They don’t offend, but they don’t excite too strongly either.

The Steve Pomplon band has chops and songwriting skill, but it feels like they played it safe on this album. If this is their sound, they’ve got some tweaking to do before they have a recognizable signature. If this is just the jumping-off point for something bigger and better, then bring it on. I hear the talent here, but only in snatches and phrases here and there. There’s a lot of room for growth in the Steve Pomplon Band; but until then, they’ve put out some very listenable tunes in 9:31. For fans of Maroon 5, early Coldplay, Five for Fighting, Jack Johnson, early John Mayer, and the like. Oh, and James Taylor.

- IndependentClauses.com