Speer

Speer

Sixes & Sevens Hesitation has nowhere to hide on Sixes & Sevens, the debut from local rock quartet Speer. Stutters pop in and out, but arrangements are so assured, nearly every second feels confident. This is the kind of sing-for-your-supper entertainment you get from a session band as seasoned as the one Austin vocalist/pianist James Speer has put together. The songs are ripe to bursting, ready to stand center stage. Backing everyone from Vallejo to Monte Montgomery, Speer understands the meaning of fleshing out a good tune until it's ready to pop. There's no other explanation why songs like "View" pack so much punch from within simple melodies. Evidently, Speer learned plenty from the back of the stage, considering this album is miles beyond most of the Sixth Street headliners he plays with. Speer sings like Bob Mould and plays piano like Joe Jackson. He writes songs made for the stage, though they're occasionally too saccharine. Big Head Todd makes more in-your-face music than this. While good tunes don't always have to be ballsy, Speer could stand to throw a curve every once in a while. "Blue Bowl" and "It Would Seem" are almost too easily likable. What the songs lack in edge, Speer compensates for in delivery. Meanwhile, "Flatliner" hints at the greatness this band has waiting for it. With only one album under their belt, Speer already sounds like a group of pop veterans.