The Million Dollar Milkshake

The Million Dollar Milkshake is all about sweetness, from the opening intro of "Bubblegum Factory" to lyrics about holding hands and sunny days to chirpy Bacharach-ian horns to Mark Bacino's melt-in-your-mouth vocals. The 12 songs skip by in a cloud of cotton candy, stolen kisses, and ba-ba-bas, leaving no trace but for a smile. Bacino and his band are ace at playing light and sweet, but with a peppy kick. "Downtown Girl" bops along like amped-up Marshall Crenshaw; "Rockin' Mood" lifts the opening from AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" but immediately reverts to traveling the highway to cutie, complete with castanets and dreamy background vocals; "All I Want" takes a detour into a strange world where bubblegum, burlesque, and country & western all meet; "Walking on Air" is a sticky-sweet paean to Bacino's main squeeze. This is an imaginative record that hits almost no wrong notes ("This Little Girl" is a touch generic musically and lyrically trite) and puts Bacino near the head of the modern power pop class. There are only a few power pop revivalists operating today who have the same blend of reverence for the past and energy and verve for today. Bacino walks that fine line like a pro, and The Million Dollar Milkshake will definitely satisfy your craving for sweet, frothy pop.