TONY MOLINA - Confront The Truth LP

Label: Slumberland

In the interest of brevity, Tony Molina speaks a plain truth rarely considered by modern musicians. He's not going to waste your time pontificating on sentimentality when he knows the very sentiments that power his music will stay with you long after the songs end. The West Bay guitarist's background in hardcore, metal, and punk lends itself to this concept -- imagine if Crossed Out or No Le$$ were on some Lennon-McCartney or George, inventing a mode of sincere, world-beating pop expression and concentrating it into a span of seconds.

That's what's happening here -- a resourcefulness that is typically at odds with the kind of guitar mastery you'll hear within. The eight offerings on "Confront the Truth" notch a significant advancement in his style and approach. The record's coda, a highlight reel of Thin Lizzy's "Banshee," indicates that the Tony you knew is still in there, but the game has changed, and the rules are entirely his own. Tony Molina is in complete control of his own destiny, and we should all care about where he's going.