AMG Review of Blue Plate Special

Rick Anderson
All Music Guide

Released the year after Honey, I'm Homely!, this EP feels like a gap filler, but even so, it's still pretty satisfying. Its six tracks include an interesting, funked-up remix of "All Mine" (from Honey, I'm Homely!), several new tracks, and an exquisite, galloping acoustic version of "Shelley." Of the new songs, "She's Trying" grabs you from the first moment, while "Lady Luck" doesn't really kick in until the soaring harmonies on the chorus; "Truly Comfortable" falls fairly flat, but the program ends on a high note with the sly Christmas song "I Did It for the Toys" ("Santa kissed me and I kissed him back/But I did it for the toys"). For fans especially, but anyone who loves well-built pop tunes (with or without a ska backbeat) will get a kick out of this one.