Considering Tulsa's wholly unselfconscious exuberance, it's incredible to think that Dwight Twilley first rose to prominence a full quarter-century ago. Yet it was way back in 1975 when his "I'm On Fire" was one of the few hits scored by Leon Russell's Shelter imprint (one label-mate at the time was Tom Petty). It's not simply that age might have withered him, but that years in the wilderness, writing without ever being heard, could so easily have blunted a youthful spirit that--given he deals in a joyful, touching pop often redolent of Big Star and the Beatles--is the cornerstone of his work. Mercifully, he's still got it. With the sparkling, chiming guitars and sweet layers of harmony of "A Little Less Love" and the odd and vaguely threatening clatter of the Tom Waits-like "Beauty Dirt", Tulsa is characterised by its sheer verve. This is power-pop that, even at its most maudlin ("Miranda" and the title track), retains an overwhelming and very rare sense of hope. --Dominic Wills
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