King of Clubs

The title King of Clubs led some to believe that Paul Gilbert's CD contained club music, which could mean anything from house, Latin freestyle and hip-house to techno and industrial noise. But you won't find anything club-oriented or dance-minded on this album. Nor will you find music along the lines of the hard rock band Gilbert had belonged to, Mr. Big. Rather, King of Clubs is a celebration of power-pop, and the singer/guitarist sounds undeniably inspired as he draws on influences ranging from the Beatles and the Byrds to Cheap Trick and Elvis Costello. When Gilbert tears into such melodic but rockin' offerings as "Vinyl," "I'm Just in Love" and "Champagne," it's obvious that King of Clubs was an album he really wanted to record. Lovers of hook-laden power-pop shouldn't miss this one.