Precious

Precious by Ours

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If Ours's 2000 disc, Distorted Lullabies, was notable for singer-songwriter Jimmy Gnecco's vocal similarity to Jeff Buckley and his fluent command of tortured pop-rock (hardly groundbreaking traits, but serviceable), then Precious makes the case for Gnecco as genuine-article artist. There's a truckload of emotion here and while Gnecco is more screamer than crooner, his viewpoints linger long after the final chords. Opening with the spiky--and cheeky--"Kill the Band," Precious segues into "Realize," a straight rock tune with a pealing guitar lead that solders the chorus to the bridge. Paler shades are explored later in the disc; "Broken" begins as a dirge before erupting into a musical firestorm with Gnecco's howls at the vortex. "If Flowers Turn" is wistful pop abetted by tambourine and do-do-do vocals, while "Red Colored Stars" trades muscular electric guitar for acoustic and octave-defying vocals. --Kim Hughes