Following up Pretty Strange with this two-CD opus may be quite ambitious, but Mannix manage to keep Come To California flowing quite easily and enjoyably throughout the sixteen tracks here.

Leader Joe Mannix is definitely a first-rate songwriter. Evocative and emotional songwriting fill this one out, and Mannix manages to do so with nary a cliché in site. There's a musical kinship shared with the likes your Tweedys and Zevons, and both Joe Mannix and his extremely tasteful band (guitarist Todd LeCuyer takes some great solos here) deliver quite a variety on tracks like Sunset And Vine (which sounds like an unreleased Chris Isaak track thanks to it's ethereal slide) and the exuberant optimism of Leave The Past Behind (featuring Mike Mazzarella and his 12-string).

After getting off to a somewhat uneventful opening with the title track, the subsequent Heard You Got Home is a sharp contrast thanks to a superb vocal from Mannix and simple-but-inspired melody. Come To California continues to hit the mark soundly on Best Suit thanks to it's fuzzy guitars married to a Crimson And Clover styled rhythm, and there's no doubting that Gasoline may be one of the best things here - and this is where the earlier reference to Warren Zevon largely comes from. Also, special guests don't stop with the aforementioned Mike Mazzarella as Kristen Pinell continues to demonstrate why she's one of the best guitarists around on Highway Lines and the lovely Geraldine.

Although presented as a "concept" piece, Come To California succeeds largely because these songs work well independently. Rather than creating a suite of songs that demand to be listened to in their entirety, you can accommodate your favourite track all by it's lonesome.

...And prepare to have a different favourite with each listen.

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