Have you heard of this musical wunderkind?  At the age of eight, Kweller was already penning his own tunes and went on to become accomplished on guitar and drums.  He then formed a string of bands, the most celebrated being Radish, which even I have heard of.  His unique talent is not only fresh and fun but beyond doubt.

Having heard album On My Way, I’m expecting a good old sing-along to Kweller's sitcom-like lyrics, at times melancholy, at other times funny but with welcome anger and resentment.  But watching him, I find baby-face Kweller is surprisingly entertaining.  He even launches into a little medley of pop songs in his own unique style and I watch as the seemingly complacent crowd becomes increasingly hungry like a pack of wolves.

Kweller hails from Texas and his drawl can be picked up on instantly, even over the garage rock duels between the guitars and piano.  When he does an acoustic, like ‘On My Way’, or just as he sits at his keyboard, the crowd go wild, while I am wonder what the hell is going on.  But then I twig this is when the real Texan magic shines through.

His original mix of country and western tinged, joyful power-pop rock is fantastic live.  The crowd avidly sings along to Kweller’s seamless vocal melodies and even to the hard-rock influenced tracks such as ‘My Apartment’ and ‘The Rules’.  It is one of my most memorable gigs, despite not being influenced by his music beforehand.  After tonight, I can freely admit to being swayed.
(5/5)

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