The release of "001," "Dove Tail Joint's" Aware/Columbia Records debut release, fulfills the promise of "Level On The Inside," the Chicago band's regional breakout hit.

Serving up ten tunes sure to cause quite a stir among modern rock/pop listeners are Charles Gladfelter (vocals), Joe Dapier (drummer ), Robert Byrne (guitar) and Sol Snyder (bass). They began calling themselves "Dovetail Joint" back in 1997, with the release of "The Black Album." This brought them attention from labels and management who clearly saw "Dove Tail" was on the fast track to the big time.

Bringing aboard new bassist Jon Kooker, "Dovetail Joint" signed with Aware and began looking for a producer. Having had some trouble in the past, the band was determined to find the right man for the job. "I had just written this song, 'Level On The Inside,' " Gladfelter says, "which, actually, even some members of the band were unwilling to perform. We didn't really know what we had. We drove in without really knowing this guy, John Fields. Then we sat down and recorded 'Level On The Inside' in 11 hours and the one thing we knew was that John Fields was really talented. He has so many musical ideas and he moves so quickly." The recording of "Level On The Inside" went so well, the band returned to Minneapolis shortly thereafter to record two more songs with Fields, "Boy" and "Beautiful." The result is a truly amazing first effort. Produced by John Fields and mixed by Jack Joseph Puig (Hole, Semisonic, the Black Crowes), Dove Tail delivers track after track of "radio hit," while their polished pop style is straight forward and hard hitting. With an interesting blend of what sounds like Jimmy Page and Wrens, infulence Dove Tail comes accross with uniqueness, power and intriguing melody.

"Level On The Inside" is hands down the strongest song here, but I urge you to check out "Beautiful," "Boy" and "Afraid." Yet, when it all comes down to it, this record is just impossible not to love. This album might just be my pick of the year.