"Buddy Holly and the Crickets" proved you didn't need more than a trio to deliver the goods, and "Sonichrome" is ample evidence that this is still true today. Write a catchy tune, deliver a good backbeat with a solid bass underlining a lead guitar, and you get a trio of new artists that have as many hooks in their music as a weekend fisherman has in his tackle box.

"Sonichrome" is fronted by singer/songwriter/guitarist, Chris Karn, and he is ably supported by Rodney Mollura, bassist, and Craig Randolph on drums. Coming out of Orange County (kind of the fertile crescent of music) Chris had been playing guitar in a number of alternative and ska bands, including "Bang," but singing was not part of his repertoire. In fact his first attempts elicited laughter which he recalls as "well deserved." Yet after seeing numerous bands whose singers were less than impressive, the realization came that maybe he could do this too.

While it wasn't quite the inside of a matchbook cover episode, Chris did actually send away for a book called "Secrets of Singing." He obviously hasn't had to ask for a refund, and although he hasn't discovered "all" the secrets, his singing is more than adequate enough to make a good impression on this reviewer, and quite able to support the quality of his songwriting.

The trio that became "Sonichrome" came into being in 1996, after Rodney listened to Chris' demo tape and came on board, bringing with him high school friend Randolph to play drums, replacing Stuart Johnson. The band was first known as "Twist Top," but they found the name was already taken so then tried "Monochrome," only to find the same problem, and finally settling on their current name. The name is taken from the concept of expressing the various notes in music as colors. They played the circuit, Chris attacking the doors of record companies with the same fervor he had put into learning to sing. They handed out flyers and demo tapes wherever, and flunked auditions with such luminaries as Arista's Clive Davis. In fact, the first single off the album, "Honey Please" was written after this experience.

Karn's influences include Paul Westerberg, whose band "General Public" he played with in it's dying days, and a solid base of 70's classic rock that his parents played constantly. His songs echo of the melodies that were heard and loved in the seventies, and the band's base should expand beyond its contemporaries if my generation can stop getting lost in the seventies long enough to hear them. But then it may be this fog that "Sonichrome" pierced to impress the A&R execs at Capitol long enough for them to sign the band to a contract a year ago leading to their debut this fall.

One of the things I do when I first review an album is to place it in the cd player and hit random play. So often I have found the first song a disappointment and often a hindrance to my enjoyment of what follows. I'd rather take my chances with whatever the player selects The first song that popped up on the player this time was "Innocent Journey," and it was a great start to this trip. Reminiscent of early Beatle tunes in form, it immediately grabbed my attention and whetted my appetite for more. I confess if I had listened to the opening cut, "Over Confident," I would not have been nearly as impressed. The distorted guitar segues intrude on what seems to be a 1910 Fruit Company bubble gum tune - but then maybe that's for the better - it gives an edge to what could have been a sucrose overdose. This is a cut that takes a few listens, like those first few sneaks of a smoke when you were a kid, insisting how cool it was, until it actually did become that.

"Step On Outside" is a song about knowing yourself and not seeing yourself in other's eyes. The idea is simple and the song is well orchestrated with an almost symphonic finish. It also contains the phrase that became the title to the album. The first single, "Honey Please," is radio friendly, simple with a very pop melody - the kind of thing you'd find on an Elton John or Rod Stewart album. Much more alternative in nature is "Pack Up And Leave." Although the pop beat is still there, the lyrics are more in the style of Nirvana and more distortion and discord are used.

"Sonichrome" likes to insert off the wall chords or musical experiments into the midst of choruses on most of the cuts on this album. Sometimes it works, sometimes, as in the case of "I Don't Need This Now," it expresses my feeling about throwing in the kitchen sink. This song has a simple elegant beauty about it and the discordant throw-in is like a pimple. On the other hand "Coming Home" and "Dirty Water" are enhanced by reaching for a different sound, perhaps because it is wrapped around, and supports, the main theme.

The song that may be the sleeper hit on the album is "I'm Folding." It has a terrific opening riff, lyrics that really speak to you, a lonesome guitar solo, and ending lines that explain the title phrase, suddenly making all the lyrics tie together in a neat package. It's followed by the song I first listened to, "Innocent Journey."

"Saloman" is a little tale that would be an appropriate theme for Richard Dreyfuss' character in "Close Encounters," waiting on the opportunity to visit other worlds. Karn is also waiting in "There Was 2," with an opening line that obliquely refers to "I'm Folding," and is the obverse of the feelings in that song.

I couldn't help but have visions of Olivia Newton John and John Travolta singing about "Summer Nights" in "Grease" when I heard "Summertime Love Affair," as this piquant little piece takes the same scenario and tinges it with regrets.

The final cut is "Self Indulgent," and it is exactly that, as the band tacks on a lengthy (seven minutes plus) instrumental montage to the end of this track, externalizing their feelings about music and the world they've entered.

This is an album of extremes, as Karn says, "I've always believed in extremes. If you're going to write about something sad, make it really sad. And if you're going to write about something happy, make it really happy." This is an extremely good first effort and a breath of fresh air.