Three alumni of Cleveland's
Michael Stanley Band -- namesake and vocalist/rhythm guitarist
Michael Stanley, vocalist/lead guitarist/bass guitarist Jonah Koslen, and keyboardist
Bob Pelander -- joined with vocalist
Jennifer Lee to form a new band called
the Ghost Poets. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a one-off project yielding just 1993's self-titled debut album. Guest musicians providing backup include
MSB drummer Tommy Dobeck and drummer Kevin Valentine, a veteran of Koslen's post-
MSB band Breathless and Donnie Iris & the Cruisers, among others. The 13 songs on
The Ghost Poets comprise a rare thing: rich, mature rock & roll for adults. The gently haunting "Darkness, Darkness" is a
Youngbloods song from 1969.
Stanley and
Pelander's tune "Liars' Moon" is a terrific, sassy rocker given a shot of attitude by
Lee and guest vocalist Sasha. "Casanova" is a charming, rock-flavored cover of the 1987 hit by R&B group and fellow Clevelanders
LeVert.
Stanley's superb and sarcastically catchy "Broken Radio" is another one of his bitter, anti-music-biz rock songs. Country-rock on
The Ghost Poets is represented by
Stanley's "Somewhere over Paris" and Koslen's excellent "I Will Not Be Denied."
Stanley and
Lee turn "Why Should Love Be This Way," an old
MSB tune from 1978, into a stripped down duet ballad with essentially just
Pelander's piano providing accompaniment, and Koslen shows his gift for writing and singing breezy pop/rock on "The Promise." It's a shame that
the Ghost Poets didn't continue. ~ Bret Adams