The Odds first CD entitled “Stick It in Your Pocket” gives some good advice. Stick it in your pocket and take it home and listen at every opportunity. It is a delightful surprise.

From the first piano cadence joined by guitar harmonics in ‘Big Mistake’, every song is tastefully arranged. The recording quality is excellent – every instrument is well represented in the mix. The percussion - played by Rick Erke - doesn’t get lost in the drums or bass, all very distinct, and the bass sound (Severino Myers) is just right: fat but tight and pulsating. Guitarist Matt Perrine has several different sounds that fit in the different settings provided by the songs. He uses lots of harmonics and they are all enunciated with fine technique. His sustained distorted sound is superb, great control of his axe. Drummer Keith Hollingshead gives the percussionist plenty of room to play and doesn't fail to build intensity himself.

The band is built around keyboard player Derek Van Lynn, who wrote most of the lyrics and sings lead vocals. Van Lynn ties the group together in a tight package, with tasteful licks and good use of keyboard sounds for the right accents in different songs.

The songs themselves have a lot of tongue-in-cheek attitude in the lyrics, such as ‘If I Had A Girlfriend’ and ‘Big Man’, ‘Down in the Silver Mine’. ‘Did Not Tell About You’ gives a completely different emotional reading; there is a confessional tone to this lyric which is magnified by the intensity of the arrangement.

‘Did Not Tell About You’ kept me waiting for the song to change, to release, but the fact that it never did and there was no bridge, no release, created a dynamic that made it a pent-up emotional storm. The group vocal on the line ‘did not tell about you’ was perfectly enunciated and intoned. This song, though musically the simplest on the album, provides fierce intensity and perfect vocal intonations. Yes, yes, yes.

“‘Big Man’ is a song about George Bush, Saddam Hussein, about how all the world leaders should be spanked,” Derek Van Lynn said in a recent interview. It is full of rock ’n roll energy and attitude. “You got the big head, but it ain’t screwed right; All in all you seem to think we should thank-you, Seems to me it’s easy to see we should spank you.” Van Lynn plays a fine rock piano solo on this number, excellent technique and phrasing.

The arrangements all feature distinct introductions and endings, dynamics throughout. Most of the songs have verses, choruses and bridges, and it is all rock music.

‘If I Had A Girlfriend’ seems like an outtake on the rock’n roll phenomenon of groupies for every member in the band. It is a fun song though, and funny, and tastefully arranged. ‘Fire It Up’ is a rocker with more changes and a little more structure than some of the other songs. Van Lynn does another hot piano solo. Like the lyric, the band becomes fired up on this number and percussionist Erke really gets out front.

‘Angel Divided’ is a heavy metal rock song, and percussionist Erke has an important role on what sounds like a woodblock that drives the song. Van Lynn’s vocal has no problem being on top in this obviously loud and high energy song. The piano intro belies the onslaught of the heavily distorted guitar which follows and persists. Drummer Hollingshead says this song is about Adam and Eve. The arrangement is so tasteful and intricate, the vocal echoes and the instruments except for the drums dropping out in the chorus. It is excellent work, great song. ‘Go the Distance’ sounds more Steely Dan flavored than anything else on this album. The chord voicings and the phrasings in the verse give it a jazz-rock flair. The instrumentalists all stretch out on this song.

All the players in the Odds fit perfectly. Van Lynn is up to the task of leading this group. His vocals do the job and then some and the accents the group sings with him are just the right touch of “sugar in the bowl.” This is an excellent bunch of musicians and they write some great songs and arrangements together.

The confidence of Van Lynn when he told me that this is a supergroup, perhaps his tongue was in his cheek then too, during a recent interview made me skeptical that I would even want to listen to this album. I love it when my skepticism is proved wrong. I love this album and it makes me so proud of our local music community to know that this was written, performed and recorded right here in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Odds are performing locally and this album will be released shortly. Get ready to Stick It In Your Pocket. I give this one maximum stars.