Excellent display of Sharif's expansive talent!
mcflaherty | Dallas, TX United States | 04/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Surrogate Lovers is an unlikely blend of influences from several genres, reflecting a wide array of inspiration. "You're my Girl" and "Simple Ways" are mainstream pop-rock yet alternative, reminiscent of popular Lemonheads songs, while "Time Rolls Back" and "Respect" emit modern jazz-inspired melodies. With songs like "60 Seconds" and the title track, Sharif branches out into the alt-country world demonstrating inspiration from bands such as Old 97s and Whiskeytown. Mike Daly, Whiskeytown's guitarist, plays lap steel on "60 Seconds" and other tracks, helping Sharif accomplish his goals of musical diversity. Overall, Surrogate Lovers establishes Sharif's songwriting prowess and broad range of musical ability."
Great record. Very eclectic, w unique modern songs & sounds
Farrah Shankar | New York, NY United States | 08/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been following Sharif's career for a while now, and I gotta say, he definitely outdid himself on this record. I'm a casual acquaintance of his, and when he mentioned that members of Whiskeytown, Jason Mraz, and David Gray were on "Surrogate Lovers," I had to pick it up. This album greatly surpasses his first. The songs are well constructed, and the some of the lyrics are phenominal. I've had "60 Seconds" on repeat in my car for about 2 weeks. I can tell a lot of time when into recording this record. The songs range from rock to grunge to alt-country to ballads, but somehow Sharif makes it all fit together. Well done Sharif, well done."