At least a bit more promising than it's sleeve implies,
More Than I Can Do doesn't quite paint Minneapolis'
Johnny Rey and his crew as power pop/wave-sters, albeit this five song disc (that would go without a sequel well into the next century) proves they were certainly more potent than your typical singer/songwriter hustlers. No gimmicks here, and despite it's copyright date this quartet completely circumvented keyboards. "The New Way" is spiced up with a nervy saxophone line, the danceable "Streetlife" naggingly reminds me of Jo Broadbery and the Standouts/Local Operator, and the jangly title cut isn't unlike a welterweight Elvis Costello. Really not disappointing at all for a debut, just not particularly revelatory. Rey would record outside the realm of the Reaction, prior and subsequent to
More Than I Can Do, but evidently the band reconvened for a 2018 ep,
This Modern Age, that I can't find much more in the way of specifics about than a standard Discogs listing. You can read a 2012 interview with the man of the hour
here.
01. The New Way
02. Streetlife
03. More Than I Can Do
04. Automobeat
05. Flesh & Blood
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