He sings, writes songs, plays a variety of instruments, and produces records. That’s Chip Muellemann, who is actually the lone force behind Here’s Chippy. Hailing from Park City, Illinois, the one-stop-shop-for-all-your-musical-needs has been jamming good since he was a kid, and his years of experience are fully evident on his most recent disc, Little Songs, which radiates with power and immediacy.
Choppy rhythms, fused with hooks so pithy and precise they could be carved in marble, conduct the scenario on big and bouncy tracks like “All That,” “I Don’t Think About You,” and “Your Door,” while “Don’t Cry” slinks and slithers to a raunchy glam beat. Slathered with jingling guitars, flanked by an insistent tempo and a slashing break, Chip Muellemann’s “As Time Goes By” rates as another top pick included on the record. (This track was co-authored by Randy Massey, whose Highway to My Soul album pedals in as a personal fave rave.) “I’ll Be There” spins and swerves to an exciting exhibition of lusty licks and rollicking melodies.
Burly blues riffs co-exist tranquilly with sun-bleached pop slopes, pushing Little Songs to dwell somewhere between the heavy rock complexion of Led Zeppelin and Free and the kinetic new wave stance of the Cars, the Nerves, and the Diodes. Pub rock soul ala Huey Lewis and the News additionally figures into the equation, along with oceans of soaring Beatlesque harmonies.
Chip Muellemann’s chops are strong and fit, and his vocals are earthy and catchy. Driven by a victorious blend of raw energy and technical triumph, Little Songs grooves, grinds, and gallops to the type of pop rock sounds where the copyright never expires. Take a bow, Chip, and do it again!
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