ARTIST: Fitz and the Tantrums     

TITLE: Pickin’ Up the Pieces

YEAR RELEASED: 2010

CHART ACTION: #140, #1 Heatseekers

SINGLES: Winds of Change, LOV, Breakin’ the Chains of Love, Moneygrabber (#2 Adult Alternative, #33 Rock), Don’t Gotta Work It Out (#23 Adult Alternative)

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: No, but they all could have been on the radio

LINEUP: Michael Fitzpatrick, Noelle Scaggs, James King, Ethan Phillips, Jeremy Ruzumma, John Wicks and others

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: After a successful home-brewed EP and a great set at SXSW, a singing and an album release quickly follow to great success.

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Taking three tracks for their debut EP, and recording seven new ones in the same home studio, Fitz and the Tantrums debut record was rolled out and became a hit…slowly. As soon as “Moneygrabber” hit the radio, though, people were enthralled with the neo-soul-pop-retro band.

Featuring hooky melodies, retro-sounding arrangements, and a dynamic vocal duo of Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs, this record is catchy and fun. There’s nothing more you need or want from this kind of album.

You may quibble about the inconsistent pastiches at times, and a couple of songs aren’t top notch, but, again, it’s a fun record. Fun!

NOTES & MINUTIAE: They were signed the morning after their SXSW set.

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No

 GRADE A-: Fun, Goddamnit! FUN!

ARTIST: Fitz & The Tantrums

TITLE:  Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1

YEAR RELEASED: 2009

CHART ACTION: None

SINGLES: It was a five song EP

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW:  Breakin’ the Chains of Love and Winds of Change were on their debut full length album.

LINEUP: Michael Fitzpatrick, Noelle Scaggs, Joseph Karnes, James King, Jeremy Ruzmna, John Wicks

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: A throwback to classic soul with a modern sensibility.

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Fitz & the Tantrums debut EP is just a teaser, a cruel cruel teaser. However, it did get them signed and allowed them to get a full length album just a year after its release, not bad for an independently recorded debut EP from a band barely a year old.

Michael Fitzpatrick, Fitz as it were, sings soul just as well as Daryl Hall, and by adding long-time LA vocalist Noelle Scaggs they are able to cover the gamut of the classic soul sound. Yet, there’s something to this band so that they’re not just copies of the Motown and Stax greats.

This is definitely a great supplement to their records.

NOTES & MINUTIAE: Fitzpatrick has said that he booked their first show one week after their first rehearsal.

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No.

GRADE: A-:  Fantastic use of the EP format to whet your whistle for the band.