New Americans - New Americans - 2000

True blue, American-as-apple-pie music isn’t always easy to come by in a pop scene where many try as hard as they possibly can to sound British, but the exciting new duo of Dan Touhy and Casey Fundaro, aka New Americans, dish it up quite nicely on their debut, eight-song effort. Eschewing typical power poppin’ soundscapes for a more singer-songwritery Approach—think what might have occurred had Seals left Crofts in ’71 and hooked up with Jimmy Webb and Gene Clark for an LP’s worth of musical fun and frolic—Touhy and Fundaro pretty much hit the nail on the head every time out on New Americans. From the plaintive love song “Anna” to the jaunty “Comin’ to an End” and the lyrically bitter (yet hummable) “So Alone,” everything works. Touhy’s no-frills lead vocals suit the material to a tee, while Fundaro provides some nifty background vocal parts (his eerie falsetto bkg’s on the beautiful, heartfelt ode to a loved one who has passed, “Looking Down,” may be the finest moment on the disc). Awash with deeply felt lyrics, 12 string guitars and songs that stick, New Americans is  certainly a promising debut. -John M. Borack, Alan Haber's Pure Pop