Jim Boggia is a musician’s musician: his ability to craft a three minute pop song, as previously evidenced on 2002’s Fidelity is the Enemy and 2005’s Safe in Sound, is undeniable. Color Boggia a romantic, as well; it’s quite evident listening to Misadventures in Stereo, Boggia’s third full-length release, that he is an unabashed believer in the power of music to enhance a romantic relationship. “8 Track” is not only a celebration of the joys of low-fi m usic (“sometimes they’d even cut the song in half”); it also pays tribute to the ability of a long-forgotten song to bring to mind a lost love. Similarly, “On Your Birthday” traces the arc of a relationship through memories of concerts past. And how many fellow music geeks would give their right arm to merely be able to write a song like “Listening to NRBQ,” which compares favorably to “Driving in My Car,” let alone have Big Al Anderson himself take the guitar solo? Misadventures in Stereo ends on a serious note: “Three Weeks Shy” is the beautifully heartbreaking story of a solider who almost made it back home. Soft and muted throughout, the song takes a dramatic turn when Boggia unleashes his anguished wail near its conclusion. In so doing, he lends a previously unheard voice to all of those with a hole in their heart.
--Rick Schadelbauer [August 14, 2008]
