Many Hollywood actors like Bruce Willis, Don Johnson and Eddie Murphy, just to name a few, have tried to cross over into music, but unlike them Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael make consistently pretty darn entertaining music. Their newest album “New Years Day” is no exception.
 
Their music is rock n’ roll fueled with alternative country, folk, blues, Americana, and even reggae. I especially like the first four tracks. The opening/title track is one of the most versatile songs I’ve heard in a long time, starting off with metal riffs that are as driving as anything you may hear from that genre, later transitioning to a light-hearted folk-rock number, and sporting an interlude with yet another style, and it all comes together to make an extremely well crafted song with a very nice refrain melody. The jazzy-bluesy tracks like “Go My Way” (whose intro reminds me of the beginning of Los Lonely Boys’ “Heaven”) and “Almost Got Rich” make me clap my hands and tap my feet, and “Bunch of Words”, spiked with reggae rhythms, proves their flexible talent. The Bacon Brothers show their serious and tender side in “Children”, which sounds almost like a Beatles’ song. Every track is unique and has various tempos and themes, yet all go well together to form one deliriously catchy album. Undeniably, the chemistry between the siblings is awesome, but it is almost impossible to single out any of the other band members. Ukulele, keyboards and background chorus make good contributions to this album. The arrangements are laid back but hip enough to listen to repeatedly.
 
What I also like about the album are the meaningful, honest and fun lyrics that make sense. You don’t have to analyze what they are singing about because their lyrics are simple and straightforward, but these simple lyrics have dead-on and good messages, sometimes with some humor. This album is pure lighthearted fun, it is easy to tell that The Bacon Brothers had a blast recording it, and I have a great time listening to it. Recommended.