CD Review: Frank Migliorelli and the Dirt Nappers

Abnormal Conditions

(Rave-On Records)

From the stabs of cheesy Farfisa organ (probably a Nord keyboard, these days) to the churn of distorted electric guitar, right down to the Bonnie and Clyde textual references, you’d be forgiven for thinking “Take the Wheel,” the opening track of Frank Migliorelli and the Dirt Nappers’ Abnormal Conditions, was a long-lost outtake from Lenny Kaye’s iconic Nuggets compilation of psych and garage signposts. There are other similar moments on the disc, but overall Migliorelli uses a broader palette, extending as far as the spare ballad “This Whiskey Won’t Burn,” which is dressed only by pianist Daniel A. Weiss with minimalist acoustic slide guitar from Thad DeBrock. Unlike Bob Dylan, Red Hook’s Migliorelli is not in the running for a Nobel Prize in Literature. But throughout Abnormal Conditions, he does display a sunny Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich sense of melody, which drives pop songs like “Ever Since You Went Away,” with special guest Marshall Crenshaw.

—Michael Eck