Paper + Plastic – Release Date: 5/18/10

Stephen Egerton is best known as the proficient guitarist of legendary pop punk pioneers The Descendents and ALL. He’s also arguably the most talented and skillful punk rock guitarist of all-time. This is his first solo effort and very much a unique album in terms of how it was created. Egerton not only wrote all of the songs, he also played every instrument, (guitar, bass and drums) and even recorded everything in his own studio. He then went about enlisting the help of various distinguished punk singers to contribute lyrics and vocals. Some of the notable vocalists include; Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, Joey Cape of Lagwagon and Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio. Not surprisingly, the principal entries come from the most prominent singers. “Cut Me Down to Size” is a spry, bouncy number sung by Mike Herrera of MxPx and it’s undeniably the catchiest song on the disc. “Print on Paper” features vocals from Chris Demakes and Roger Manganelli of Less Than Jake, as well as lyrics from their drummer, Vinnie Fiorello. It’s a mature, mid-tempo rocker, accented with attractive guitar leads and solidified by a robust chorus. Lastly, there’s “She’s Got Everything”, which boasts a rare appearance by Descendents singer Milo Aukerman. The song is sure to please diehard Descendents fans through and through, and sounds as though it could have easily been included on their 2004 album, Cool to Be You. Ultimately, what’s problematic regarding this release is the fact that it contains a total of 16 songs, thereby making it difficult to establish consistency and avoid filler tracks. Rather than buy the entire record, potential listeners should pick and choose from the abovementioned vocalists via iTunes, while steering clear of the lesser-known singers.