Kasim Sulton has been Todd Rundgren's right hand man since his debut on a Utopia record in 1977. I've been a fan of Kas for just as long. His voice is a perfect harmonious companion to Todd's and his bass playing is as important to the sound of Todd and Utopia's records as Bruce Thomas or even Paul McCartney was to their respective bands.
Sulton's last solo album "Three," was a favorite of 2014. In many ways, Sulton does a better job at keeping the music of classic Todd Rundgren alive than Todd himself. Sulton just released his new album, "Kasim 2021" and like "Three," it is full of great melodies, great playing and some fine songwriting.
The first single "Fast Car" is not unlike classic Fountains Of Wayne, and throughout much of "Kasim 2021," you will be reminded of Lennon, the aformentioned McCartney and even Jason Falkner, who Sulton has covered in the past.
If you dig these tracks, you can pick up "Kasim 2021" just about anywhere CDs are sold, including Amazon and Kasim's merch page.
9 comments:
Excellent stuff. (BTW, had a small fright at first - the way you did the headline with a date, I thought Kasim had passed - whew)
These songs show how much of Todd's sound since '77 may also be called Kasim's sound. Or maybe the other way around. Or both. Either way, two kindred musical souls.
AWITW,
Good point about the post title.
I've always liked Kasim but have felt fairly lukewarm about his music, with a couple of exceptions here and there. These 3 songs are really strong and call for a dive into the new album.
Sounds good! The first song reminds me of the s/t Utopia album (my personal favorite). And yes, the Fastcar song sounds exactly like FOW. Thanks for the share.
I listened to the album after reading the post. The 3 songs you posted are probably my favorites, "Fastcar" is a definite nod to Fountains of Wayne. "Her Love Is Sunshine" reminds me of the beginning of Todd's "Fade Away" and something Jeff Lynne would write. "Everything I Shouldn't Want" is a Utopia throwback. There are other worthy tunes as well. I think the only misstep was the "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace Love And Understanding" remake. A solid album. I was going to buy the vinyl but I don't see that it's available. On to "3".
@cmealha
I agree. "Peace, Love..." did not work for me at all. But I'm glad you dug it. I think it's pretty great. I think I like "Three" just a bit more, but it's still early.
Been waiting for some new Kaz.
I listened to "3" and after the first 6 songs I had no doubt it was better than 2021 but then it lost a little bit of steam, recovering for the last tune. I think the highwater mark is higher on "3" but "2021" is more consistent. Then again, this is only based on 1 listen for each.
I've been real life working too much, so not had chance to play this yet. I've deliberately saved it for this quiet Sunday. Have to say, I'm really looking forward to it.
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